Dorothea Lantz, PWSA | USA Community Engagement Director, and Elaine Towle, PWSA | USA volunteer advocate, recently represented the rare disease community in critical meetings on Capitol Hill with Sen. Shaheen, Sen. Hassan, Sen. Rubio, and Sen. Braun. These discussions emphasized advancing legislative priorities for 2025, including rare disease drug development, improving Medicaid access for...
Advocating for individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) means embracing every voice and every story. At PWSA | USA, we believe that expanding diversity efforts is essential to ensure every family feels seen, heard, supported, and receives their PWS diagnosis as early as possible. The Power of Inclusion For Dorothea Lantz, Director of Community Engagement at...
In a powerful week of advocacy, Dorothea Lantz, Director of Community Engagement at PWSA | USA, represented Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) on Capitol Hill and at the 2024 NORD Breakthrough Summit in Washington, D.C., from October 20–22. The Summit gathered leaders across the rare disease community, including patient advocates, healthcare providers, researchers, and policymakers, all united...
This week, members of PWSA | USA’s Adults with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) Advisory Board gathered in Phoenix, Arizona, for a multi-day meeting to discuss upcoming initiatives and programs. Among the key topics was planning for the Adults with PWS Conference, a half-day event that will take place during the 2025 International PWS Conference on June...
In a powerful demonstration of community advocacy, several members of the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) community recently met with Representative Angie Craig (D-MN) to share their stories and advocate for those living with PWS. This meeting in Minnesota, which was scheduled as a follow-up to PWSA | USA’s 2024 D.C. Fly-In, highlighted the importance of ongoing...
PWSA | USA is excited to share an update on the continuous advocacy efforts for the PWS community. We have received a letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to a petition submitted by the PWS Advocacy Coalition (submitted on July 31, 2024). This petition urged the FDA to prioritize the...
The FDA has announced its plan to conduct an Advisory Committee Meeting as part of its review of Soleno Therapeutics’ DCCR New Drug Application. The FDA convenes Advisory Committees to provide independent expert advice that contributes to the agency’s regulatory decision-making. As part of the Advisory Committee Meeting, interested community members are encouraged to share...
On Friday, August 2, 2024, the PWS Advocacy Coalition submitted a petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), requesting the filing and priority review of the New Drug Application (NDA) for Soleno Therapeutics’ drug, DCCR. The petition, signed by 14,271 members of the PWS community, was sent to FDA officials Dr. Tiffany Farchione...
PWSA | USA has submitted our “Congressional Letter of Support” to the FDA with 27 signatures from U.S. Congress members! This letter pushes for urgent development and approval of treatments for Prader-Willi syndrome. A big thank you to our advocates who shared this ask during the 2024 D.C. Fly-In and to the team leads who...
In a significant step towards fostering equity and inclusion within our Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) community, we are pleased to announce a collaborative initiative aimed at improving the standard of care and support for marginalized individuals living with PWS and their families. This initiative, undertaken with the active involvement of several community members, seeks to ensure...
May 8, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) — Prepare for a powerful convergence in the heart of Washington, D.C., on May 15th as advocates for individuals living with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) gather for PWSA | USA’s important advocacy event, the D.C. Fly-In. This year marks the 2nd National PWS Awareness Day, a significant milestone achieved through the...
On May 1, 2024, the first day of PWS Awareness Month, the Voice of the Patient Report was officially filed with the FDA! 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...
Attention everyone in the Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) community and beyond! We need your support NOW! We are rallying behind a critical petition urging the FDA to take action on DCCR (diazoxide choline) for individuals living with PWS. Soleno Therapeutics’ investigational drug has shown remarkable promise in improving hyperphagia, reducing fat mass, and addressing challenging PWS-associated...
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” —The Lorax, Dr. Seuss Contributed by Jennifer Andrews, Advocate and Mom to Josephine A reluctant, “OK.” That’s how I got involved in advocacy with PWSA. Pretty unexciting, isn’t it? Well, so is the first plop when you throw...
Meet our advocate, Kayla Day, mom to Luella, age 4 with PWS. Contributed by Kayla Day After having my daughter and receiving a late diagnosis of Prader-Willi syndrome, it took years before I could discuss it with others. In these 4 1/2 years, I have met amazing families and staff through PWSA | USA. The...
Contributed by Katie Moureau On Wednesday, January 10, 2024, Katie Moureau, mom to a 9-year-old boy with PWS was able advocate in support of Assembly Bill 687 – Authorization of Value-Based Arrangements for Medicaid Programs for all rare diseases. She was one of 2 advocates testify. As we know there are NO FDA approved treatments...
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.
