She has a Masters in Education with a focus on instruction design and an interest in universal design for learning, especially for people with intellectual disabilities who are nonverbal and who have trouble writing. Joan is the author of The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook: A Guide to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles (2002, 2006), the first, and only, text dedicated to promoting healthy living for people with Down syndrome at any age. Joan focuses her wide array of activities on nutrition and wellness coaching for people of all ages and stages.