About the Author/Speaker

Daniela Geracitano Vance is a former secondary school teacher. She is the author of two books, The Jade Book: A Stone of Hope and My Gift: The Magic of a Special Child, the second is a work of love inspired by the birth of her son, Matthew, who has Down syndrome. As an advocate for children with special needs, she has appeared on CTV’s Vicki Gabereau Show and in the Healthy Life section of The Vancouver Sun, (“Learning from Down syndrome” by Karen Gram. The Vancouver Sun, 18 November 2002: D9-10). She lives in southwestern British Columbia with her husband and three children.