Vicki Niswander is first and foremost the mom of three fantastic children, who are all now adults.   Jeff, is a recent graduate in mechanical engineering from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb and is employed as a web designer at Navistar International in Melrose Park, IL.  Kathy, is a junior majoring in psychology at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN, and Annie, age 26, who has Down Syndrome, volunteers in the two elementary schools and at the humane society, and is a student at Parkland College in Champaign.  Vicki's husband, Mark, works for the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in Research Safety.

 Vicki is currently the State Director of Managing the Art of Living, having worked for Project CHOICES, an LRE project in Illinois, and directed the Parent and Educator Partnership, another state grant in Illinois. Current activities, in addition to Disability Beat, include chairing the College Access Committee (studying access to postsecondary opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in the east central Illinois area), and serving as a member of the Board of Education in Mahomet-Seymour CUSD#3 in Mahomet, IL. She is also a trainer for Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center, based in Effingham, IL.