Discover more about Joni’s heart on the ADA: Did The Americans With Disabilities Act Really Guarantee Change? | Joni and Friends

At a celebratory reception after the signing of the ADA, Joni recalls hearing these words spoken by colleague Paul Hearne: 

“[The ADA] will provide greater access to public accommodation. Wheelchair users will no longer have to be carried up the steps of a restaurant. And one day buses across America will be outfitted with mechanical lifts. There’ll be no barriers to public transportation…. But the ADA will not change the heart of the employer. The law will not change the heart of the maître de in the restaurant.” 

Key Questions: 

• How can you create spaces that are accessible and inclusive for people with disability? 
• How is Jesus calling you to love and advocate for people living with disability? 

Key Scriptures:

• 1 Samuel 16:7: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”
• Luke 14:21, 23 (NIV): “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.… Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”

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Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, we provide Christ-centered care through Joni's House, Wheels for the World, Retreats and Getaways, and disability ministry training.

Find more encouragement on Joni Eareckson Tada's Sharing Hope podcast and her daily devotional.