Empowering Individuals
Supporting Families
Give the Gift of Hope
PWSA | USA’s 2023 Angel Drive campaign, Give the Gift of HOPE, kicks off Wednesday, November 1st, with donations being accepted through Sunday, December 31, 2023!
YOU can help be a positive force in our work and propel PWSA | USA’s momentum forward by supporting our end of year campaign. Your support ensures PWSA | USA can continue TAKING ACTION in the new year! Whether it’s working with volunteer advocates to raise our voices with legislators in Washington, D.C. about issues that matter most or helping you navigate the challenges associated with PWS, your year-end, tax-deductible gift ensures that PWSA | USA can continue to provide HOPE to families 24/7/365!
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What we do
Advocacy & Awareness
Increasing awareness and effectively advocating for Prader-Willi syndrome at the state and federal level is a critical component of our mission. We seek to involve all members of our community and work to keep you informed on the best ways to affect change.
Learn about Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS)
Family Support
PWSA | USA' Family Support team provides individuals diagnosed with Prader-Willi syndrome, their families, and care providers with critical information and resources on PWS. We also provide education to medical providers, schools, and professional care givers through ongoing trainings, toolkits and other valuable resources. We support the family from the NICU through all stages of the PWS journey.
Research
PWSA | USA seeks to support research projects with the potential for immediate and high impact for the PWS community. The goal is to fast-track better treatment for the syndrome, and we proudly collaborate with partners representing pharmaceutical companies, research universities, and more to achieve that goal.
Events & Fundraisers
Upcoming Events
As children, we always remember our favorite gifts bestowed at holiday times: a shiny red bike, a beloved doll, a new baseball glove. These gifts and the loved ones who gave them to us are forever etched in our memories now and always. As the holiday season begins and the new year approaches, PWSA | […]
More details coming soon! CLICK HERE to read through our 2022 D.C. Fly-In recap.
Visit our Blog
Locking the Fridge, Community Stories
Contributed by Anne Fricke We finally locked the refrigerator! I did not expect my daughter’s reaction. Freya is 12, living with PWS, and while food seeking has not been a big challenge in our lives, it was starting to creep in. For the past few years, we’ve managed by ensuring we put leftovers away shortly after meals. […]
Joint Legislation Filed to have PWS Recognized as a Developmental Disability in Ohio
PWSA | USA is excited to announce that thanks to the dedication and hard work of our Advocacy Ambassador, Dr. Erin Carter-Cooper, PhD, Ohio Representative Rose Sweeney (D – District 16) and Representative Gayle Mannin (R – District 52) have jointly filed legislation that will make Prader-Willi syndrome a recognized developmental disability in the State of Ohio! […]
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.