Could your loved one living with PWS benefit from more movement in their life? PWS parent and Pilates Teacher, Joakim Valsinger is offering FREE Pilates sessions for families living in Nevada, more specifically the Henderson/Las Vegas area, on Monday, October 17, 2022.
Joakim says he has used his skills as a Pilates Teacher to help his son Albie, who is living with PWS, “get stronger and move about.”
Next week, Joakim will be in Henderson, NV for the PMA International Conference and Expo, where he will host the workshop “Pilates for the Disabled Child.” As part of the trip, Joakim will arrive early to offer free Pilates sessions for families living in the area.
“I do not charge for these sessions, as I know all too well the extra financial burden which PWS places on our families,” Joakim told PWSA | USA.
As part of these sessions, which he says will last between one and a half to two hours, Joakim has found it useful to videotape them for families, as it means they can refer back to the movements they covered. He says it is also a great way to share the same information with the PWS community. If you are not comfortable having the session videotaped, you are able to opt-out and not have it recorded.
If you are interested in having Joakim host a Pilates session for your loved one on Monday, email him at joakim@balanspilates.com. You can also find more information about Joakim on his Facebook page or his Instagram page.
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.