PUBLISHED ARTICLES
Hope under Pressure / From the Perspective of Disability By Martina Köninger, 2025
Pressure is a universal part of life, but for people with disabilities it often carries unique weight through daily challenges, social bias, and theological or cultural misconceptions. Scripture shows that pressure, while painful, can be transformed—just as Jesus bore suffering and Paul found strength in weakness—into hope rooted in God’s promises rather than in comfort or healing. This hope sustains, refines, and connects us, turning pressure into a witness of God’s glory and love.
Church, hospitality and disability By Martina Köninger, 2024
The following is a second article from Martina Köninger of the Disability Perspective Forum, which is part of the Evangelical Alliance of Germany. Martina is paraplegic, following a traffic accident in 1992. Here, she reflects biblically and theologically on her experience of attitudes towards disability that she has encountered in churches in her own region.
Superhuman efforts by the some of the world’s fittest and ablest bodies riveted our attention on the Paris Olympic Games in recent weeks. These coming days, the Paralympic Games will bring us more athletic feats, this time performed by the heroic efforts of those overcoming disabilities. They are declaring to the world that social value and human dignity are not rooted in physical perfection.
Healing: Wrestling with a Sovereign God By Martina Köninger, 2023
At the end of 1992 I had a traffic accident with life-threatening injuries that almost cost me my life and left me paraplegic. What about the many healings I have read about so often in the Bible? Especially in the Gospel of Matthew it says again and again: Jesus healed all, and all were healed…
Every life, every family, community and church is affected in some way by disability. That statement has probably always been true, or at least very nearly true; which is perhaps why it is strange that the study of a coherent theological and biblical foundation for the inclusion of those with disabilities has only fairly recently begun to emerge.
Link for downloading: EEA TC, Disability and the Church, theological paper, June 2019
Thérèse Swinters, facilitator of the European Disability Network (EDN), has been honoured for her ground-breaking work over the past 15 years by receiving the HOPE Award 2019.
European Disability Network: “God is able, He does not disable us” by Jordi Torrents
People with disabilities should be able to participate in every Christian community by Joel Forster, Evangelical Focus. Interview part 1
Disability is only a small part of our identity by Joel Forster, Evangelical Focus. Interview part 2
Developing Young Leaders with Disabilities by Dave Deuel
STUDY MATERIALS FROM CONFERENCES
State of Europe Forum, Stockholm 2023
Link for downloading: Disability, Dignity and Freedom | Notes | Evelyn Apinis, Martina Köninger, Katharina Becker, Therese Swinters
Link for downloading: Disability, Dignity and Freedom | Slideshow | Evelyn Apinis, Martina Köninger, Katharina Becker, Therese Swinters
Hope for Europe, Tallinn 2018
Link for downloading: Myth and Facts About People with Disabilities
Link for downloading: Seven Myths due to which Christian Churches Pay Little Attention to Serving People with Disabilities
Link for downloading: Learning disabilities – presentation Tallinn by Lydia & Jordi
Link for downloading: Fundraising presentation by Baiba Baikovska
Link for downloading: Fundraising seminar notes by Baiba Baikovska
Link for downloading: Invisible disabilities track presentation by Baiba Baikovska
Link for downloading: Hearing impairment by Martina Koeninger
Link for downloading: Devotional HfE Tallinn by Baiba Baikovska
HOME ACCESSIBILITY FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
Link: Guide to Room-by-Room Repairs for Easy Accessibility for Disabled Loved Ones
Link: Wood Ramp Design: How to Add a Ramp that Looks Good and Works Too
Link: Top 5 things to consider when designing an accessible bathroom for wheelchair users
Link: Handicap Accessible Modifications That Won’t Turn Off Future Homebuyers
Link: Creating a Wheelchair-Accessible Backyard For Visitors
Link: Wheelchair Gardening Tips
Link: Building An Accessible Garage
HEALING
Link: https://www.baptist.org.uk/Groups/369916/Healing.aspx
Link: Stop trying to ´heal´me – BBC News by Damon Rose
Link: Pick up your stretcher and walk! BBC documentary in radio 4!
Link: Is God disabled? by Ian Paul May 27, 2019
RESOURCES FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES
The Accessible Bible
Link: The Accessible Bible
Count Everyone In YouTube Channel
Link: https://www.youtube.com/c/CountEveryoneIn/videos
Mark Arnold – The Additional Needs Blogfather YouTube Channel
Link: https://www.youtube.com/@theadditionalneedsblogfather
DISABILITY STATISTICS
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – full text
Link: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities | Full text
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – several translations
Link: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
United Nations Factsheet on Persons with Disabilities
Link: Factsheet on Persons with Disabilities
Facts on Disability in the World of Work | International Labor Organization
Link: Facts on Disability in the World of Work | International Labor Organization
Disability Key Facts | WHO
Link: Disability Key Facts | WHO
Hidden and Forgotten People Including Those Who are Disabled | Lausanne Movement
Link: Hidden and Forgotten People Including Those Who are Disabled | Lausanne Movement
Disability in the EU: facts and figures
Link: Disability in the EU: facts and figures
Where We Stand | Down´s Syndrome Association
Link: Where We Stand | Down´s Syndrome Association
Press Release – 24% increase in abortions where baby had Down’s syndrome, as landmark case against UK Govt to be heard by Court of Appeal
5 Statistics We Can’t Ignore: Disability and The Gospel | The Banquet Network
Link: 5 Statistics We Can’t Ignore: Disability and The Gospel
What are the Stats on Disability and Church? by Dr. Stephen Grcevich
Link: What are the Stats on Disability and Church? by Dr. Stephen Grcevich
Freedom of Religious Belief and People with Disabilities: A Case Study of People with Disabilities from Religious Minorities in Chennai, India by Stephen Thompson, Brigitte Rohwerder and Clement Arockiasam
GUIDES TO DISABILITY CARE
Enpowering Moldovans of All Abilities by Dr. Amy Griswold OTD, OTR/L, CYT, CBIS with contributions by Kathryn Jones M.Ed., Ed.S. A guide to Therapeutic Disability Care
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U0UTv63bWs632gQRC0fVMPX7SDmpbCOq/view?usp=sharing
European Disability Network 