Santa Perez (She/Her)

Santa Perez is from Southern California, where she was very active in the self-advocacy field. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University, Northridge.

When Santa moved to Las Vegas in the mid-90s, she discovered that there were no advocacy groups for people with disabilities. This was unacceptable to Santa, and she began her quest to establish a self-advocacy group in Nevada. Santa co-founded People First of Nevada. Santa is a very proud and active former Statewide President of the People First of Nevada. She has testified before the state legislature and was instrumental in passing the Signature Stamp Law and the People First Respectful Language Law.

Santa has sat on many disability committees, both state and federal. Santa was appointed by Secretary Tom Perez of the Department of Labor to serve on the Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (ACICIEID). Santa is also a proud former Council member of the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities.

In her personal life, Santa has accomplished many things. She has her own home and is an active part of her community, but in her eyes, her greatest accomplishment is her son, Noah.

Santa is a well-known writer and blogger, and she is the author of Sitting At Eye Level: My Life as an Advocate, a Professional, a Woman, a Mom, and a Person with a Significant Disability. She has started her consulting firm, santaperez.com.