We are excited to offer a special webinar Monday, August 9, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. EST on homeschooling and PWS.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced parents to make difficult decisions regarding their children’s education. Join Julie Casey and Danielle Warmuth to learn from veteran homeschoolers about curriculums, services, and socialization.
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Julie Casey
Julie Casey has been homeschooling her 17-year-old son Ryan (PWS) for the last 11 years. This September, she will begin her 12th year with Ryan as a High School Senior. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Julie, who holds a BA in Behavioral Sciences and a MA in Organizational Management, worked in the Insurance and Risk Management Industry. Shortly after Ryan was born in 2004, Julie got involved with both PWSA | USA and PWCF. She is a past Board President for PWCF and remains on their Fund Development Committee. Julie is a member of the PWSA | USA Communications and Editorial Committee, the Chapter Relations Committee, and is a Parent Mentor.
Danielle Warmuth
Danielle Warmuth has been homeschooling for 21 years and has three children, ages 30, 27, and Andrew, age 14 (PWS). She served as Secretary for the Prader-Willi syndrome, Indiana Chapter for 10 years. She is a multidisciplinary major in International Studies from Michigan State University, holds minors in Earth Sciences, Archaeology, and Anthropology, and speaks French and Japanese. Danielle retired from the airlines in 2012 to stay home with Andrew. Together, they co-author the website Moving Mountains Daily. It was a homeschool project that grew way beyond what they intended! Outside the classroom, exercise and life adventures are a big part of their school day. Experiences like hospital stays, learning to pump gas, scouting, living with the nomads in Mongolia, or watching a flatboat navigate the Ohio River locks all count as “school.” Their family life motto is “Progress not Perfection.”
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.