Perseverance Against All Odds
In commemoration of Diabetes Awareness Month, contributing author Kelly Guillou, mom of Clementine (10 years old with PWS-UPD and T1D), shares her unique view on what it means to persevere in the face of two rare disorders. Perseverance is my favorite word. To me, it is the ability to push ahead, despite challenges, because the...
November Gratitude Challenge
When I reflect on my connection and gratitude toward another person in relation to PWS, Cheri Wood comes to mind. As founding members of the Texas Prader-Willi Association about 12 years ago, we share a similar passion for the well being and future of those with PWS. I was (am) dumbfounded by the challenges this disorder presents. I’m blown away by how...
PWSA | USA Introduces Twenty-Four Hour Family Support
For Immediate Release PWSA | USA Introduces Twenty-Four Hour Family Support [Sarasota, Florida, October 30, 2020] Prader-Willi Syndrome Association | USA (PWSA | USA) announced today it will begin providing 24-hour Family Support services to individuals and families in the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) community. “The past year has been challenging for everyone, and this is...
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.