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diving accident in 1967 left Mrs. Tada a quadriplegic in a
wheelchair, unable to use her hands. During two years of
rehabilitation, she spent long months learning how to paint with a
brush between her teeth. Her high detail fine art paintings and
prints are sought after and collected.
Due to her best-selling books, beginning with her autobiography, Joni,
as well as having visited 35 countries, Joni's first name is
recognized around the world. World Wide Pictures' full-length
feature film, JONI, in which Mrs. Tada recreated her own life, has
been translated into 15 languages and shown in scores of countries
around the world.
Mrs. Tada's role as a disability advocate led to a presidential
appointment to the National Council on Disability for three and a
half years, during which time the Americans with Disabilities Act
became law.
Joni and Friends was founded by Mrs. Tada in 1979 and has grown into
four flagship programs that affect the lives of thousands of
disabled people and their families. In 2002, Joni and Friends will
serve over 500 special needs families through nine Family Retreats
across the nation. Through Wheels for the World, over 14,000
wheelchairs have been collected nationwide, refurbished by inmates
in correctional facilities, and shipped to developing nations where
physical therapists fit each chair to a needy disabled child or
adult. Joni and Friends, a daily five minute radio program,
is heard over 850 broadcast outlets and this year received the
"Radio Program of the Year" award from National Religious
Broadcasters. Through ten Area Ministries offices, Joni and
Friends teams provide church training and education to promote
inclusion of people with disabilities.
Mrs. Tada is a highly sought-after conference speaker both in the
U.S. and internationally and is also a columnist for Moody Magazine,
the United Kingdom's Christian Herald, and several European
Christian magazines.
Mrs. Tada serves on several boards, including the Lausanne Committee
for World Evangelization as Senior Associate on Disability Concerns
and the Board of Reference for the Christian Medical and Dental
Society. She also serves in an advisory capacity to the American
Leprosy Mission, the National Institute on Learning Disabilities,
Love and Action, and Christian Blind Mission International.
Joni Eareckson Tada has received The American Academy of
Achievement's Golden Plate Award; The Courage Award from the Courage
Rehabilitation Center; The Award of Excellence from the Patricia
Neal Rehabilitation Center; The Victory Award from the National
Rehabilitation Hospital; The Golden Word Award from the
International Bible Society.
Mrs. Tada was named "Churchwoman of the Year" in 1993 by
the Religious Heritage Foundation and was the first woman to be
honored by the National Association of Evangelicals as their
"Layperson of the Year." She is currently the Honorary
Co-Chair of the Presidential Prayer Team. She is the author of
more than 30 books.
Mrs. Tada and her husband Ken have been married since 1982. Mr. Tada
recently retired from 32 years of teaching and has come on board
with Joni and Friends to serve as Director of Ministry Development.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors and recently received
Family Life Ministries Robert McQuilken Award honoring "The
Courageous Love of a Marriage Covenant Keeper."
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