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 Linda worked for 37 years as an Occupational Therapist at the Chedoke Child and Family Centre. She was a member of the School Health team, providing OT consultation to support the inclusion of children at school. She now works part-time at Community Living Hamilton with the family support division. Linda is a past member of the Board of Directors at CL and past chair of the District Working Group Children’s Services Committee. She holds a Professional Associate appointment at the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster and has an ongoing commitment to providing clinical placements for OT students.
Linda lives in Dundas and has 3 adult sons.
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Randy is the founder and President of InfoProtect Solutions Inc., an Hamilton-based information security company. He has been on the Hamilton Family Network board for over 1 year. He is an active member of the Rotary Club of Hamilton, currently serving on its board and being involved with local and international initiatives. Early in his career, Randy worked for a number of years with adults and children with special needs.
Randy and his wife have 2 children, the youngest of which has significant medical and development special needs. Through various speaking, writing and other media engagements, Randy and his wife are very active in bringing awareness to the challenges of home health care for medically-challenged children.
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| Heather Elbard, Treasurer
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 Heather Elbard is currently serving as Co Chair of the Consumer and Advocates Network (CAN), Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health and as President of Children's Mental Health Ontario (CMHO). She has been a citizen member of the CMHO Board since 2002. She chaired the Mental Health Education Liaison Committee for CMHO and currently is Vice Chair of the Section 20 Policy Planning Group. Heather's personal life experiences provide an in depth knowledge of her family's positive growth coping with youth mental illness, chronic health conditions and developmental disability.
Professional and leadership skills include a 29 year career [20 years as Director] in Speech Language Pathology, including University Teaching and 5 years of service on the College of Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists of Ontario, 8 years senior management experience as the Program Director/Program Manager of Hamilton Health Science's Chedoke Child and Family Centre providing services to children , youth and their families experiencing mental health, physical and developmental problems. .
Now retired, Heather pursues her advocacy and leadership for improved, integrated, and available services through diverse volunteer roles. These activities include: President, Children's Mental Health Ontario; Co-Chair, Consumer and Advocates Network, The Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health; Past Co-Chair, Zonta's Hamilton's New Faces for Violence Prevention; Co-Chair, Zonta's Hamilton's Character Development Project; Past Senior Vice Chair, Community Living Hamilton; Past Chair, The Hamilton Developmental Services Board Network; President, Lynwood Hall, Child and Family Centre; Board Member, The Hanen Centre; Member, Community Coalition for Bullying Prevention and Intervention in Hamilton
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 Mary Law is Professor and Associate Dean (Health Sciences) Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University . She holds the John and Margaret Lillie Chair in Childhood
Disability Research. She is Co-Founder of CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, a multidisciplinary research centre at McMaster University . Mary has worked closely with families of children and youth with disabilities in both education and research. In her volunteer activities, Mary has served on boards of a family counselling organization, a provincial children's organization and a community social planning council.
Mary has pioneered the growth of Community Faculty at the School of Rehabilitation Science , McMaster and has welcomed and supported young people with disabilities in their role as Community Faculty and volunteers at the School. Among her many awards is the “Heart Award” presented by the Family Alliance Ontario.
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Gill is the mother of Jason 30 and Suzanne 32 who live in London, Ontario. She married Stan in 2004, and now is also happily involved with his daughter Katherine’s support and in his son Stefan’s life. Gill and Stan are self-employed with a small home business. Although Gill is relatively new to the world of disability, she totally embraces the values of self-determination and individualized funding. Gill is the editor of the Family Alliance Ontario newsletter, “Compass.” In their spare time, some of the activities Stan and Gill enjoy are kayaking, photography, gardening, biking, woodworking and computers.
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Stan is a leading advocate for people with disabilities in Ontario . He has received a number of awards for this work including the “Family Leadership” award presented by the Family Alliance Ontario . Stan is a founding member and past president of the Family Alliance Ontario and is a sought after keynote speaker. Stan represents the Family Alliance Ontario at the Partnership Table for Transformation of Developmental Services for the Ministry of Community and Social Services.
Stan supported his daughter Catherine to become one of the first students with a developmental disability to be included in a regular classroom in her neighbourhood school in Ontario . Stan has worked tirelessly over the past 20 years to bring Individualized Funding as a choice to families in this province.
Stan and Gill travel extensively following their interests in Australia and Italy and produce beautiful travelogues of their journeys.
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| Sandra Barbadoro, Co-Chair
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Sandra is a founding member and Co-Director of the Hamilton Family Network. As the mother of three children, she believes that parents are an essential source of expertise with respect to their son or daughter, and that informed, involved and confident families are the most important agents for social change. Her daughter, Carla, enjoyed an inclusive education in her neighborhood school; and graduated from high school into active community involvement some twelve years ago. She is now 33 years old, living independently at home with her family. With Individualized Funding, and a strong Circle of Support, she continues to enjoy a full life of inclusion in her community.
Sandra is a member of the board of Directors of Family Alliance Ontario; past President and member of the board of directors for Community Living Hamilton and Former vice –chair of the Special education advisory committee (SEAC) Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board. Sandra has designed and delivered many of the workshops such as Future Directions of the Hamilton Family Network. Working alongside of her daughter, her experiences with families, community organizations, and professionals, while raising and supporting a young lady to overcome both physical and developmental barriers, span thirty years of lifetime transitions.
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| Jan Burke-Gaffney, Co-Chair
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 Founder of Hamilton Family Network; member and former vice-chair of the Special Education Advisory Committee for the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board; former chairperson of the Residential Placement Advisory Committee; faculty advisor to the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University; co-investigator of the Keeping It Together "KIT" with CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research at McMaster University; President of Family Alliance Ontario and representative for Family Alliance Ontario at the Partnership Table for the Transformation Initiative of the Ministry of Community and Social Services.
Jan and her husband have 4 wonderful children who have provided them with the inspiration that guides their work to support the self-determination and inclusion of people with disabilities.
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 Is the co-founder and president of a new non-profit charity called The Bursary of Hope for Autism. She is on the Board of Directors for the Hamilton Family Network and a SEAC (Special Education Advisory Committee) alternate for this network. She also volunteers her time as a Resource Parent for the Hamilton Family Network and is a co-presenter at the annual Advocacy workshop.
Anna and her husband Domenic have 3 beautiful boys all with disabilities.
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 Barbara is married and mother of 2 sons. The oldest, Giasone is married and lives in Waterloo . Pietro has special needs and is still living at home. . Barbara holds the position of Employment: Transition Co-ordinator for the Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board.
Her volunteer activities include: founding member of parent group “Parents for Children with Special Needs” with the HWCDSB. Director on the Board of Directors for Community Living Hamilton for 10 years. Chair of Community Living Hamilton's 50 th Anniversary. One of the founding member of the Hamilton Family Network. Board of Family Alliance Ontario for 1 year; co-presenter and designer of Future Directions transition planning at HFN.
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Therese Moning was one of the four founding parents of the Hamilton Family Network. Therese acted as Network Director for seven years, ending in 2004, but continuing as a member of the Board of Directors. She is a single parent of two daughters, one who is living in Montreal , and her youngest living at home with her. Therese worked closely with families in another capacity. She was the Ontario Director of the Canadian Association for Williams Syndrome for nine and a half years. Additionally, Therese was faculty advisor to the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University and co-investigator of the Keeping It Together "KIT" with CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research at McMaster University.
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 Mary is married with 2 beautiful children, one having disabilities. She is a Resource Parent with the Hamilton Family Network and co-chairs the annual Advocacy Workshops. Mary is the current Vice-Chair of Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC); she is a founding Member of the McMaster Children's Hospital Family Advisory Committee; Member of Community Faculty, advocating for children and youth at McMaster University and Mohawk College. Mary is very active with the Canadian Angelman Syndrome Society & the American Angelman Syndrome Foundation. She was formerly employed by Environment Canada as an Administrative Officer.
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