Understanding Medicaid is essential for individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and their families, but did you know it goes by different names in every state? That can make it confusing to know what benefits you or your loved one may be entitled to.
Medicaid provides critical health and support services, especially for individuals with disabilities. But because each state runs its own Medicaid program, what’s covered, and even what it’s called, can vary widely.
That’s why it’s so important to know how Medicaid works in your state.
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On May 1, 2024, the beginning of PWS Awareness Month, we announced the release of the Voice of the Patient Report. This timely filing marks a significant moment for the Prader-Willi syndrome community! The report gives crucial insights that amplify the perspective of individuals and families affected by PWS and sheds light on aspects of PWS that may not be fully captured in drug trials alone. Integrating the patient’s voice throughout the drug approval process for PWS treatments is essential for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) comprehensive understanding and impactful decision-making.
The Voice of the Patient Report was created following the June 2023 PWS Externally-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development (EL-PFDD) Meeting and is compiled of testimonials shared during the EL-PFDD meeting, as well as those submitted virtually.
PWSA | USA, FPWR, and IPWSO extend heartfelt gratitude to the entire PWS community for contributing to the success of this project. To truly amplify the patient’s voice, our entire community must commit to ongoing advocacy efforts. This entails incorporating patient perspectives into all facets of processes and systems, ensuring genuine and enduring change. It’s not solely about isolated advocacy initiatives—it’s about steadfast dedication to embracing and elevating the voices of those directly affected by Prader-Willi syndrome.
You can read the Voice of the Patient Report by clicking the button below.
We are excited to share that several new community members are in the beginning stages of having PWS added to their state’s list of developmental disabilities.
If you or someone you know is interested in leading the charge in your state, please email PWSA | USA at Advocacy@pwsausa.org.
Get everything you need to make an impact this May with our comprehensive Awareness Month Hub. You’ll find customizable and pre-made print materials, eye-catching social media graphics, and a list of 15 meaningful ways to raise awareness. Plus, learn how to take part in our exciting new United We Brunch campaign, celebrate creativity in the Rare Aware Art Share gallery, and discover even more ways to get involved. Whether you’re hosting an event, sharing resources, or advocating in your community, our hub has everything you need to spread awareness and make a difference!
Make an impact this May by securing a PWS Awareness Month or PWS Awareness Day (May 15th) proclamation in your city or state! Our Proclamation Toolkit provides everything you need to take action, including step-by-step guidance, sample cover letters for reaching out to local and state officials, and inspiring success stories from PWS families who have done it before. This is an easy yet powerful way to raise awareness for Prader-Willi syndrome in your community, and we encourage everyone to get involved! If you receive a proclamation, be sure to share it with us so we can celebrate with you.
The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing will hold a Drug Utilization Review (DUR) Board meeting on August 12, 2025, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. (MT). This important meeting will review medications covered by Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) including those that could change the lives of individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). […]
We are thrilled to share that Prader-Willi syndrome has been included in the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) in the 2026 Fiscal Year Defense Appropriations Bill. This is a MAJOR milestone for our community! This inclusion, passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is the result of tireless advocacy efforts that […]
Florida has officially launched the Sunshine Genetics Act, a first-of-its-kind initiative offering free, voluntary whole genome sequencing (WGS) for all newborns—and PWSA | USA was honored to stand at the forefront of this historic moment for rare disease families. On July 9, 2025, leaders in science, medicine, and policy gathered at Florida State University’s Interdisciplinary […]
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PWSA | USA
1032 E Brandon BLVD #4744
Sarasota, FL 33511
Phone: (941) 312-0400
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.
Over the years, as a special-needs parent navigating the Special Education system for Sophie, Jennifer became interested in learning as much as possible about that process. She began by attending PWSA (USA)’s first Wyatt Special Education Advocacy Training in March of 2013, and went on to complete a rigorous 9-month Special Education Advocacy Training course with the Council of Parent Advocates and Attorneys in May of 2015. This included successfully completing an advocacy internship with PWSA (USA). Jennifer is referred school cases by PWSA (USA)’s Family Support Counselors, and then works closely with parents and schools to review education records, assess the child’s situation at school, provide further information about how the syndrome affects the school experience, and, as needed, create improved IEPs and behavioral plans. Jennifer was excited to take on this role of helping parents in the PWS community to work collaboratively with school professionals and parents to create positive, effective learning environments for children with PWS across the country. Jennifer is a graduate of the WSEAT program.
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.
Past president of the Education Law Association and co-chair of the Pennsylvania special education appeals panel from 1990 to 2007, he is the author of the CEC monograph The Legal Meaning of Specific Learning Disability; the more recently published books, A Digest of Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Education and Student Teaching and the Law; and the two-volume reference Section 504, the ADA and theSchools, now in its fourth edition. In 2012, he received Research into Practice Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Excellence in Research Award from AERA’s Division A (Administration, Organization & Leadership). In 2013, he received the University Council for Educational Administration’s Edwin Bridges award for significant contributions to the preparation and development of school leaders. In 2016, he received the Education Law Association’s Steven S. Goldberg Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Education Law, and in 2017 he received the Council for Exceptional Children’s Special Education Research Award. Note:Perry’s website is perryzirkel.com
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.
She obtained her PhD from Capella University in Education focusing her research on Prader-Willi Syndrome. Dr. McTighe is also a graduate of the William & Mary Law School’s Institute for Special Education Advocacy. Dr. McTighe is currently the chair of the Special Education Advisory Board for the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association-(USA). Amy is the Chair of PWSA (USA)’s Special Education Advisory Board.
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.
Staci Zimmerman has lived in Denver, CO for the past 17 years. She lives with her husband and 5 year old daughter. Staci attended The University of Kansas, with a B.A in sociology and an M.ed in Special Education, with an emphasis in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Staci enjoys teaching fitness classes, and keeping a healthy, active lifestyle in Colorado.
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.
Before founding SDLC, Jim was the Executive Director of Advocacy, Inc., the Texas Protection and Advocacy program from 1989-2001. During that period, he managed the growth of the program from 34 staff to a staff of 94 and from a centralized operation with one office to a regionalized operation with eleven offices spread across Texas.
From 1981-1989, Jim worked for the Advocacy Center for the Elderly and Disabled (Louisiana’s Protection and Advocacy program) as its Legal Director. From 1979 to 1981 Jim worked as a staff attorney for the Louisiana Center for the Public Interest.
Jim graduated from Tulane University School of Law in 1977, and has a BA in Accounting & Economics from the University of Puget Sound.
Jim is the author of publications and training materials on the IDEA, the ADA, and Section 504, including: Keeping Students with Disabilities in School: Legal Strategies and Effective Educational Practices for Preventing the Suspension of Students with Disabilities – A Resource Manual (2014); Stopping the Schoolhouse to Jailhouse Pipeline by Enforcing Federal Special Education Laws (2006), co–authored with Rhonda Brownstein from the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Jim has served as lead or co-counsel in several major IDEA actions in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on behalf of thousands of students with disabilities, including Angel G. v. Texas Education Agency; Luke S. v. Louisiana Department of Education and Mattie T. v. Mississippi Department of Education. The past decade, he also filed and favorably settled five systemic administrative complaints in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. These systemic complaints were filed under IDEA’s state complaint procedures.
Jim has also made over two hundred presentations at statewide, regional and national conferences on IDEA, Section 504, and ADA issues. The past four years he has also served as one of the faculty members at William and Mary Law School’s week long Institute on Special Education Advocacy.
