Share Your Spotlight on PWS
All of our loved ones with PWS deserve to be recognized for who they are and how they show up in the world. Sometimes that looks like a success to celebrate, like making a shot in a basketball game, having a sleepover with a friend, or getting hired for a job. Other times it may look like struggling to navigate a situation with food or not being able to participate in a desired activity because of PWS. These journeys with PWS sometimes meander among the extremes, while other days they simply feel normal. This space, Spotlight on PWS, is a place to share all of it.
Tell us about the everyday moments of your loved one with PWS, share an exciting success they had, or describe a challenging moment they struggled to get through. We want to get to know more about individuals with PWS, celebrate with them, share in the frustrations, and provide support when and where we can. Perhaps your challenging situation can help others learn how to meet similar challenges with more preparation. Perhaps your loved one’s success will inspire others to see their goals through.
To share about your loved one with PWS, a moment from their everyday or a momentous occasion in life, please fill out the form below.
Please note that we require an email for validation purposes but will uphold any requested anonymity.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.