Vicki Forman

Vicki Forman

Vicki Forman Brings Experiences as a Writer, Teacher and Parent to the Board; Looks to Focus on Advocacy and Education

Some will say that there is no more powerful means of communication than the
written word. From the simple to the complex, the analytical to the passionate, the written word allows us to document and share current information, our feelings and much more, and preserves it for the future. With the importance that the written word plays in advocacy and education, Lanterman Regional Center is fortunate to have had Vicki Forman join the board of directors. Forman, a graduate of the University of
California, Irvine, with a master’s degree in english and a bachelor’s degree in literature from Yale University, has been a lecturer in the Department of English at the University of Southern California since 1997.

Prior to becoming a lecturer at USC, Forman was an instructor at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She also taught at UCI’s Extenstion. She teaches both fiction and nonfiction writing, and her research interests include creative nonfiction, creative writing, disability studies and contemporary fiction since 1950.

Forman, who has a 7-year-old son served by Lanterman, shares, “I firmly believe in volunteerism and giving back, and I hope to use my experiences as a writer, teacher and mother of a child with special needs to educate the general population about issues surrounding regional centers, and also to be a strong advocate for the Center and the Lanterman community.”

A prize-winning author, she started writing a monthly column in January 2007 in “Literary Mama” called “Special Needs Mama” that reaches over 6,000 readers. Forman has also written a book called “This Lovely Life, A Memoir,” which narrates the first year in her and her husband’s lives as the parents of a child with a disability. In addition, she has written several book chapters and nearly one-dozen short stories and/or essays that have appeared in a half-dozen anthologies. And she has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize.

“In addition to advocacy, I’m very interested in becoming more involved with programs and services-related issues, as well as performing outreach to clients and parents. I also have a strong interest in legislative affairs and planning for the future, because today’s children with disabilities become tomorrow’s adults with disabilities," adds Forman.

Forman has served as treasurer for five years for the Pediatric Epilepsy Project at UCLA. She is also a member of the Modern Language Association, the Mid-Atlantic American Culture/ Popular Culture association and the Southwest Popular Culture/American Culture Association.

She has lived in Southern California with her husband Cliff Kamida for 15 years. They have two children, a daughter Josie and son Evan. In her free time, Forman enjoys yoga, reading, knitting and jewelry-making. And she recently started taking classes to obtain her degree in nursing.

Updated December 6, 2007