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                                                    "..meet Kati, just a
regular kid!.."
 
"....meet Kati's mom...."
 
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                                          Lori Laurie Foreman
                                                                                                               P.O. Box 205
                                                                                                                 Maurice, LA
                                                                                                                337-315-0043
                                                                                       llforeman@bellsouth.net   -   www.loriforeman.org
   
                                                                                       

                       Mission Statement:  To do everything in my power to make the world accepting of and accessible to people with disabilities and the elderly.

    

 

                                  

                                                                                                             
       2010 - 2011   Current Position: Quality Enhancement Director with L & D Community Care, Inc. (Lafayette, Lake Charles & Marksville, LA)
                 L & D provides services to people of all ages with disabilities
 
 
       2007 – 2010    A  New Voices’-Ford Foundation Fellowship “Fellow”
                                A Human Rights Fellowship headquartered in Washington, D.C.)
                                                                                                  
Job Title:   Disability Education Coordinator for people with disabilities and the elderly.
• Locate and direct assistance to those in need
• Educate people about available services and resources in their communities
• Create and maintain a resource directory for the public
• Identify deficiencies of services and collaborate with legislators to create solutions and amend existing laws
• Work with government agencies and non-profit organizations to identify needs and develop resources
• Create grassroots advocacy and consumer group empowerment
 
Current Positions and Involvements:
• A producer and host of a weekly television talk show entitled “Pause Café” on Acadiana Open Channel (public access television)  Representatives
from government agencies (Medicaid, Social Security, Assist Agency), non-profits, service providers and other agencies serving people with
disabilities and the elderly are interviewed. People with disabilities staff the production of the program.
• The chairperson of the Louisiana State Regional Advisory Committee for the Office of Citizens with Developmental Disabilities.
• A former member of the board of directors of the Acadiana Chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
• An advisor to People First of Louisiana.  This is an organization of people with disabilities educating themselves and others about becoming
“self-advocates.
• The founder and sponsor of “Friends Matter”. This is a group of children and adolescents in middle and high school who have volunteered to become
friends with children with disabilities. They have pledged to maintain the friendship outside of the school setting as well as at school.
• A member of LaCAN (Louisiana Citizens for Action Now). This is a group of activists: self-advocates, parents, teachers, etc. who lobby legislators
for changes in laws that benefit people with disabilities.
• A member of the Louisiana State Autism Chapter and the Acadiana Autism Chapter
• A member of the Vermilion Interagency Coalition. This is a group of concerned individuals, businesses and public agencies who convene on a
quarterly basis sharing a desire to improve the lives of the citizens of Vermilion Parish.
• A sponsor and host of PIE (Public Interest Events) and Health Fairs in surrounding communities in south Louisiana. These events provide information
on housing, disaster preparedness, Medicaid, Social Security, school issues, transportation, legal rights, employment and other issues of
importance to citizens.
• A member of Families Helping Families. This is a La. State agency providing referral and resource services to families of children with all types
of disabilities.
 
Past Employment and Experiences:
• A children and adolescent mental health provider and mentor at the Crowley Mental Health Center, Crowley, La.
• A service provider with Volunteers of America working with hurricane victims.
• A 2004 Graduate of Louisiana State Partners in Policymaking – Baton Rouge, La.
 
I am the mother of two daughters, Kari and Kati.  It is because of my younger daughter, Kati’s, disabilities
that I have become involved in my  work with people with disabilities and the elderly. Kati has an array
of diagnoses including Cerebral Palsy (with confinement to a wheelchair), post-traumatic stress disorder,
depression, social anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and Asperger’s Autism.
Kati’s presence in my life has given me a deep appreciation for every blessing in my life. My family
has taken our situation and transformed it into a way of reaching out and working to improve
lives of others with issues. An ideal world would be a place  where everyone – regardless of race,
religious affiliation, economic status or disability, could reside, be accepted and treated
fairly by government entities and fellow mankind in all environments.
It is my professional and personal commitment to do everything in
my power to see this come to fruition.