contributed by Kristin McKinney
My daughter, Mira, is 12 years old and in our local middle school in Colorado. She got a perfect score on a written spelling bee test at her school that allowed her to qualify to participate at the district level. She was only 1 out of 3 students in the whole middle school who qualified to go onto the next level. She was dedicated and organized in studying for the spelling bee and made about 200 flash cards of the possible words that could be used for testing. We repeatedly practiced with those cards orally in the same way we knew she’d be tested at the actual bee. At the district level, there were about 50 participants. Though she did not end up being a finalist, she did well in the district bee to maintain her calm and do her best. When she was eliminated, she was still happy that she’d made it that far. We were very proud of her too! With all of the challenges that come along with this diagnosis, it was wonderful to see her shine! She is aiming to do even better next year!
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We want to celebrate the successes of your loved ones with PWS. From first steps to climbing a volcano, no matter how big or small, we want to share with the community your Spotlight on Hope.
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.