Adults with Disabilities
Children with Disabilities
Mission Trips
Access to wheelchairs is foundational to communities where individuals with disabilities live with dignity and are seen for who they truly are.
At Mustard Seed Communities, wheelchairs open doors for residents to actively participate in community life and reach their fullest potential. Thanks to the commitment of a longtime mission volunteer team dedicated to building custom wheelchairs for MSC Jamaica residents, every child and adult who needs a wheelchair receives one … along with the support and technology they need to thrive.
Key Takeaways
- 90% of MSC Jamaica residents need wheelchairs, and a dedicated volunteer team from Atlanta ensures each resident has a custom chair, boosting independence and full participation in daily life.
- Globally, access is scarce: the United Nations report that in low- and middle-income countries, only 5%–15% of people who need assistive devices receive them, and just 3%–5% of children with disabilities have access to therapy.
- The wheelchair team operates a hands-on program to guarantee wheelchair access led by volunteer Liz Merrick and a team of therapists and assistive technology specialists; they provide custom fittings and support for every resident who requires a wheelchair.
For most of his life, Claude experienced the world from a reclined position.
His view was limited, his breathing was shallow, and his voice, eager to talk and sing, grew softer with time. It was a quiet frustration for someone who loved expressing himself.
Everything changed when Claude was fitted into a custom wheelchair and positioned upright for the first time. Suddenly, eye contact with friends and caregivers came easily. His lungs expanded, his breathing strengthened, and his voice grew louder and clearer. With improved posture came new possibilities: pulling up to a sink to help with personal care, sitting at a table to feed himself, and fully participating in the activities he loved most, including painting.
Then, at 49 years old, Claude experienced an even greater milestone … some might say a miracle. He achieved independent mobility. When a team of volunteers coordinated the delivery and customization of a power wheelchair for Claude, he gained the freedom to move on his own for the first time in his life.
Claude’s story is one of dignity restored and independence unlocked—and it’s made possible by a dedicated team of mission volunteers who believe that the right wheelchair can change everything.
Because the right wheelchair can transform a life.
Why Wheelchair Access Matters: The Numbers Behind the Need
Of the 500 children and adults with disabilities living at Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) in Jamaica, more than 90% rely on a customized wheelchair for mobility. They depend on these chairs to sit safely, breathe easier, connect with others, and engage with the world around them.
Across developing countries, this level of access remains rare. An estimated 75 million people worldwide need a wheelchair, yet only a fraction receive one that properly fits, leaving many individuals vulnerable to medical complications and exclusion from daily life.
Without early interventions such as physical, occupational, or speech therapy—services that are only available to 3% to 5% of children with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries—physical challenges often intensify over time. Postural issues, pressure injuries, and respiratory complications become more likely, increasing the need for advanced seating solutions.
In the years after MSC was founded in 1978, residents did not always have access to specialty wheelchairs. Many spent long hours confined to their bed, unable to participate in daily life. Today, the residents’ access to properly fitted wheelchairs has absolutely transformed what our community looks like. Adults like Claude are independently mobile. Children are present in classrooms. Residents across the island, from Blessed Assurance to Sophie’s Place, take part in activities, express their personalities, and move through their days with greater dignity and joy. In this way, MSC defies the odds.
Building a Wheelchair Program
At MSC, the gift of mobility comes to life through the tireless work of mission volunteers who acquire, deliver, and assemble customized wheelchairs for residents in Jamaica.
The group coordinates wheelchair procurement and shipment from Atlanta, Ga., then travels on several week-long mission trips each year to customize the chairs to the residents. Leading the effort is Liz Merrick, whose vision and dedication have driven the program since its first container shipment in 2013.
The team’s journey began long before the first chairs arrived in Jamaica. In 2002, Liz went on her first mission trip to MSC through her church. Having grown up with an older brother, Ned, who lived with cerebral palsy, she had spent her whole life working with an individual with disabilities and understood how transformative a well-fitted wheelchair could be.
Seeing residents in Jamaica experiencing the world from their beds or worn chairs, Liz remembers thinking, “My wheels started spinning about the inequities of what we in the United States have and what they didn’t have.” That miracle-making moment planted the seed for a program that would change lives.
By 2005, Liz began developing a vision of bringing custom wheelchairs to Jamaica. Embarking on a journey of education and advocacy, Liz led many mission trips, connecting even more strongly with the residents—especially Claude!—each time. By 2012, she and a dedicated team of volunteers were fundraising to send donated wheelchairs, each one customized to meet the needs of individual residents once it arrived in Jamaica.
In 2013, the program achieved a major milestone: the first shipping container of wheelchairs arrived in Jamaica. Partnering with United Cerebral Palsy and Momentum Wheels for Humanity, the team sourced 150 chairs for distribution. For many residents, it was the first time they had experienced independent mobility.
“When we got the kids out of bed and into these wheelchairs for the first time, it was just the best feeling in the whole, wide world,” Liz shares.
Wheelchair access is often temporary in the U.S. Once a chair is prescribed by a health care professional, it cannot be reused; consequently, those chairs often end up in landfills. The MSC program flips that model, giving new life to chairs and giving residents the gift of mobility.
Opal Bailey, Caring Resource Manager for MSC Jamaica, has observed significant improvements in residents’ health and well-being since the introduction of customized wheelchairs. She states, “The children and adults in Mustard Seed’s care have benefited in many ways from personalized, retrofitted wheelchairs. These chairs help prevent contractures and scoliosis, support proper positioning during feeding to reduce the risk of aspiration, and minimize long-term complications that can result from improper seating.”
Over the years, superstars of health care fields joined this mission: MSC’s wheelchair program grew hugely in both expertise and scope. Liz’s daughter, Lindsay, became an occupational therapist after long-term missionary work, and along with Sharon Swift, she helped coordinate occupational therapy mission trips with Augusta University. Jeff Swift, an assistive technology professional (ATP), joined the team and enabled the program to source and ship equipment independently. Other key volunteers, like ATPs Jane Schmitz and Bryan Clever as well as therapy director Chris Mauer from the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, contributed their expertise, ensuring residents received the best possible care.
How the Wheelchair Team Brings Mobility to Life
The annual process of providing customized wheelchairs to MSC residents is a year-long labor of love, involving work in the US to source chairs as well as multiple mission trips to Jamaica for evaluations and fittings.
Colleen O’Hara, Director of Volunteer Engagement at MSC USA, works closely with the team to ensure the process runs smoothly from year to year. “The wheelchair team is deeply committed to ensuring every resident has the comfort and support they need,” Colleen says. “Their work extends far beyond their time in Jamaica—they dedicate countless hours throughout the year sourcing parts, packing the container, and coordinating its safe arrival.”
The team’s process begins with evaluations performed in Jamaica by a professional team of occupational therapists, physical therapists, and ATPs. These individuals assess each resident’s needs, from wheelchair type and size to any custom components required for postural support or pressure relief.
Back home, the team matches each resident with the most suitable wheelchair available, sourcing chairs from manufacturers, donations, or gently used chairs. Volunteers rebuild and modify the wheelchairs, installing custom seating systems and labeling each chair with the resident’s name and evaluation details. Every chair is carefully checked for safety and quality before being packed for shipment.
When the containers arrive in Jamaica, the team hits the ground running. Wheelchairs are sorted by resident and home, and fittings begin. Each fitting session ensures the chair supports the resident as intended, with adjustments made as needed—a process that can take anywhere from 30 minutes to more than two hours depending on complexity. Residents and caregivers are trained to safely and effectively use and maintain the equipment, recognizing that each wheelchair is as unique as the individual who uses it.
Working 14-16 hour days, the job can be “grueling,” Liz described, yet wheelchair team volunteers come back year after year to continue the work. Partnership with the MSC caregivers particularly inspires team members.
The therapists and ATPs are always amazed by the condition of the residents, especially their level of overall care. The caregivers at MSC carry tremendous responsibility, and they do it with such dedication. They show up day in and day out, wearing many hats and providing an exceptional level of care to every resident.
-Liz Merrick
In 2024, the program faced a new adventure when MSC welcomed 59 children with disabilities from Haiti, few of whom had wheelchairs that fit. The team quickly realized that they would have to change the approach to their two trips each year. “It was a blessing that the residents from Haiti came and we were able to provide them with support, but it made us have to re-evaluate to come more often!” Liz said.
The ever-resilient team strategized and adapted by splitting trips according to geography and scope: one set of trips focused on evaluations, repairs, and distribution at Jacob’s Ladder and Blessed Assurance while another set focused on Jerusalem, My Father’s House, and Sophie’s Place.
Just three weeks after the arrival of the residents from Haiti at Jacob’s Ladder, the wheelchair team was already on the ground working to improve their comfort and mobility. Two physical therapists specializing in seating evaluated all 59 residents, ensuring that every resident received the proper chair and support. The team’s adjustment allowed the program to continue providing the same high level of care despite the community’s rapid growth.
Before and After: Wheelchairs Transform Comfort, Mobility, and What’s Possible
The wheelchair team provides these side-by-side images of residents in their wheelchairs before being evaluated and after receiving their new chair. Witness a few of the transformations…
Why the Wheelchair Team Ensures No One is Forgotten
Access to wheelchairs is at the foundation for building communities where individuals with disabilities can live with dignity and be seen for who they truly are.
When the wheelchair team works to establish greater equity among individuals with disabilities by serving MSC’s mission, the vision of “bringing the Kingdom of God to earth” soars to life.
Lis says from the heart, “Some residents don’t have a voice, and because of that, they can easily be overlooked. But they are just as important as anyone else. They are angels quietly living in the community, fully present even if they can’t express themselves.”
Their presence makes the whole community richer, and it matters that they are not forgotten.
“Being upright in their wheelchairs, able to join circle time or be part of activities, gives them independence and lets them feel seen. It allows them to participate in the life of the community, to be loved, and to be valued. The staff does an amazing job of getting them up every day, helping them into their chairs, and making sure they are included.”
In a world where only one in ten people with disabilities living in low- to middle- income nations has access to assistive medical devices, MSC is changing the story.
Here, every single resident who needs a wheelchair receives one that is hand-customized for them. When this is our reality, individuals who are too-frequently cast out can triumph in the center of our narrative. Here, they can confidently grasp the independence, mobility, and dignity they deserve.
From Claude’s decades-long journey to the newest resident from Haiti’s experience, every wheelchair delivery represents freedom: to be exactly who you are in your heart; to connect with another human, eye to eye; to be an individual who is “fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Thank you to Liz Merrick and the Wheelchair Team for unerring work and unwavering support throughout so many years. Facing adversity by uniting as an unstoppable team driven by love has made a lasting impact that is felt every single day at MSC Jamaica.
This article is dedicated in loving memory of
Ned, brother of Liz (Thode) Merrick, was born with cerebral palsy and lived his bright life from a wheelchair. He advocated for the rights of individuals with disabilities every day, enjoying showing his peers how those with disabilities desire full participation in community like anyone else.
As a student at the University of Missouri in 1978, Thode tackled his challenges with a sense of rebellious humor. “I like to dance, I like people,” Thode said. “Most people think, ‘What are they [individuals with disabilities] doing out in the community?’ I show them that more people should be more aware of the disabled.”
In caring for her brother, Liz became an advocate for individuals living with disabilities from birth. Thode has since passed away, and his legacy and impact lives on everywhere—especially in the work of the wheelchair team.
Liz reflects on the influence Ned has on her life’s direction of service: “When I came to Mustard Seed for the first time, I had this moment of revelation in the chapel at Jerusalem where I realized I wanted to dedicate my energy to these kids who don’t always have anybody to speak for them.”
Ned’s legacy, and witnessing my mom’s advocacy for him as a child, lives on in what I am doing. I feel Ned’s presence every time I’m at MSC. And every time I look at Claude … I see my brother’s face.”
Ned’s life reminds us that advocacy is a sort of sacrament—it’s a visible sign of invisible love. Through Liz’s service and the ongoing work of the wheelchair team, that love lives on: lifting voices; restoring dignity; and building communities where individuals with disabilities are fully welcomed. Ned’s legacy shapes a world where every life is honored and every person belongs. Thank you to Ned and Liz for sharing this extraordinary love with our community.