| Global Issue: Disability Concerns |
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A Message from Joni Eareckson TadaLausanne Senior Associate for Disability ConcernsWinter 2008 Thanks for visiting this special page on the LCWE website – and thank you for your concern and compassion for the needs of people with disabilities and their families around the globe. Did you know that there are more than 660 million disabled persons worldwide? If you grouped these people into one nation, they would comprise the world’s third largest country with the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, and homelessness – this special population would also suffer the added burden of substance and sexual abuse and, sadly, the highest rates of suicide. Jesus Christ has a special affection for the world’s disabled. In Luke 14:13, 21, 23, He even gave us a mandate, “When you give a banquet… invite the poor, crippled, the lame and the blind… go out into the highways and country lanes… to the streets and alleys… compel them to come in… so that my Father’s house may be full.” This is why I commend the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization for its interest and support in fanning the flames of Christ’s love among people with mental and physical challenges. At the Lausanne Forum 2004 in Thailand, 36 international disability ministry leaders gathered for prayer and to present to pastors a list of ways they could share the Good News of Jesus Christ with disabled people in their cities and villages. Simple click here to view our group’s findings – print it out and keep it for ready-reference as you and your church plan ways to give the help and hope of the Gospel to disabled people in your community. Should you wish to network with other disability ministry leaders from different parts of the world, visit our International Field Services page at www.joniandfriends.org. Introduce yourself and tell us about your disability ministry in your country! If you are located in Europe, visit Therese Swinters of the European Disability Network at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . You have like-hearted and like-minded friends all over the world who share your passion. Plans and preparations are underway for Cape Town 2010. We plan to hold several disability workshops where participants will have an opportunity to learn about new models for disability ministry and evangelism. Make plans to attend Cape Town 2010. United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Disability advocates around the world successfully brought before the United Nations delegates a new UN Convention on the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. This convention was adopted by the UN in December 2006 and member states are presently reviewing, signing, and ratifying this new international law. When I reviewed the text of this new UN Treaty, I thought of Proverbs 31:7-9, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Our God is concerned about justice and mercy. When the Bible speaks of rights, it means moral claims which can be backed up by law. Many Christian disability advocacy groups worked to ensure that the text of this international law truly does safeguard the lives of disabled people. The JAF International Disability Center and other Christian pro-life organizations believe that as this new UN Convention is adopted country-by-country, it’s legal standards will help raise the quality of life for millions of people with disabilities: www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/conventioninfo.htm From the Heart“He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people” -- Psalm 113:7-8 I serve on the Disability Advisory Committee to the US State Department, and there’s hardly a report I read that shocks me. Like this one from the Report of Rights of Disabled Children: “An estimated 97% of disabled children in developing countries are denied even the most rudimentary rehabilitation services . . . Disabled children suffer more violence and abuse than other children - they are imprisoned in institutions, cupboards and sheds and, all too often, starved to death." I'm not shocked because I’ve seen it happen. The suffering that human sin has brought upon this world is utterly heartbreaking. It’s one of the reasons I squeeze every ounce of ministry out of each day God gives me. I realize how much I have been blessed... while many others are desperate for His touch. Like Sandra from Cameroon, West Africa who has deformed feet. She was locked in a dark shed and covered with dirt and fleas when Magdalene Manyi found her. Magdalene took Sandra home, bathed, fed her, and tucked her into a warm, clean bed. She prayed and sang over the little girl, asking God to soften the heart of this child to the love of Christ. Slowly but surely it began to dawn on Sandra that her days of abuse and starvation were over. She began making friends with all the other disabled children Magdalene had rescued from smelly sheds, dark basements, and the banks of creeks and rivers. I'm proud to work alongside friends like Magdalene. We have visited her small school and workshop where she teaches disabled children how to earn a living through sewing. Truly, she is doing "pure religion" as she declares and demonstrates Christ's Gospel to the disabled children of Cameroon. Disability News and OutreachDisability leaders around the world share a growing concern over rapidly advancing medical technology which, they believe, may ultimately jeopardize the lives of people with disabilities. In many countries, genetic screening during the IVF process selectively destroys not only unborn children with Down syndrome or spina bifida, but those with simple defects like club feet or cleft palates which could be corrected by minor surgery.“There’s a growing premise worldwide that one is ‘better off dead than disabled,’” says Joni Eareckson Tada. “Now as never before, the church must stand firm on the truth that all life is precious, no matter how severe the disability. We need to help the church worldwide learn how to embrace families affected by disability,” says Joni. “It’s just part of the mandate Jesus gave us in Luke 14.” Joni Eareckson Tada LCWE Senior Associate for Disability Concerns Founder, Joni and Friends International Disability Center Related Links
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