Lausanne Movement

Joni Eareckson Tada has lived in a wheelchair for over 40 years due to a diving accident at age 17. Joni is recognized on a first-name basis around the world after the publication of her internationally best-selling autobiography, Joni, and the full-length feature film, JONI, produced by the film outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.  Mrs. Tada has authored over 45 books.  She serves on a number of advisory boards and has received awards and honorary graduate degrees from colleges, universities and seminaries.  She has served on the National Council on Disability under two U.S. administrations and is currently serving on the Disability Advisory Committee to the US State Department.

Joni Eareckson Tada has served as Founder and CEO of Joni and Friends, a non-profit organization founded in 1979 to accelerate Christian ministry in the disability community through various outreach and church training programs.  Joni and Friends has distributed over 38,000 wheelchairs worldwide through Wheels for the World.  In 2008, the ministry will hold 20 Family Retreats across the US for families affected by disability.  In 2007, the ministry moved into its new headquarters, the Joni and Friends International Disability Center.  The IDC  serves a global network of disability ministry organizations, including NGOs on every continent.

Joni and her husband Ken have been married since 1982.  They reside in Calabasas, California.