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.

• Learn more about Maggie Bushway and purchase your copy of her book, Pearls, A Memoir on Childhood Brain Cancer and Hope.
• Get your copy of Joni Eareckson Tada’s powerful book (one of Maggie’s favorites!), A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God’s Sovereignty.
• Receive biblical encouragement from Joni as you walk through cancer and other tough trials with her booklet, Facing Trials with Joy: Cancer and Beyond.

KEY QUESTIONS:

• What pearls has God made through your suffering?
• Do you see weakness and pain in your life as opportunities to lean into God’s strength?
• Do you know a person or family walking through deep suffering? Do something to encourage them today (deliver pizza, pay a visit, or write a note).

KEY SCRIPTURES:

• 2 Corinthians 12:9–10: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
• Psalm 121:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—

he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—

the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—

he will watch over your life;

the Lord will watch over your coming and going

both now and forevermore.”

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

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.

Abigail Brown has been living with dystonia since the age of three. You may remember her Season 3 podcast episode where she shares about living joyfully with dystonia. Abigail is the founder of Silent Inspirations, a creative studio that offers stationery and home decor based on her original artwork.

To encourage women who feel alone or stuck, whether because of a disability or other challenges, Abigail wrote her book, Unstuck: Moving from Resentment to Resilience While Living with Dystonia (using only her left thumb).

KEY QUESTIONS:

• Do you feel stuck or isolated in some area of life?
• What blessings can you see in your life today?
• What negative thought patterns give you trouble? Ask God to help you displace them with praise!

KEY SCRIPTURES:

• Psalm 139:14: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
• Romans 8:26: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

You make this podcast possible! Thank you for your support.

Find all podcast resources and message our team.

Follow Joni and Friends on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.

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.