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!
House Bill 337 was introduced earlier this month and has already garnered support from both sides of the aisle. With 11 co-sponsors already signed on, this is the 2nd state this year that has introduced legislation to support our PWS community. Advocates like Erin are making a difference and moving the needle throughout the country.
Read the full House Bill 337 language and follow the bill's approval process at https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/135/hb337. If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved, please email Dorothea at Advocacy@pwsausa.org for more information.
Watch the video below to hear from Erin as she explains the first steps she took to get PWS added to Ohio's list of developmental disabilities.
Share this!
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.