Edmonds College honors former student with donation of five wheelchair basketball chairs to Seattle Adaptive Sports

Edmonds College is donating five wheelchair basketball chairs to Seattle Adaptive Sports in honor of RJ Barker (with ball).

Edmonds College donated five wheelchair basketball chairs to Seattle Adaptive Sports, honoring former Edmonds student and tutor RJ Barker. 

Barker was a wheelchair user for most of his life following his spina bifida diagnosis at birth. Barker graduated from Edmonds with his Associate in Biology in 2017. He lived in the student dorms on Edmonds’ campus and worked at the Services for Student Disability (SSD) Center as a student programmer and a tutor. After his time at Edmonds, Barker was hired full-time as a student intake coordinator at Everett Community College. 

“RJ never met a stranger,” said Craig Kerr, director of SSD. “He always made you feel cared for. He typically had a smile on his face and looked for ways to connect with people. He was such a kind and caring person. When the SSD team talked about donating the chairs, we thought donating them in honor of RJ would be best.  In this way, we could honor the way he gave so much to others.  I think he would have been all for donating the chairs to Seattle Adaptive Sports.”

While at Edmonds, Barker started a petition to get a ramp built in the auditorium on campus. He also contacted the Lynnwood Mayor’s office about making the sidewalks around the campus more accessible for wheelchair users. 

“RJ had a huge heart, and was always donating his money and time,” said his mother, Wendi Barker. “He was a genuinely good person who made a difference in every life he touched. I think the world would be a better place if we all were a little bit more like RJ.”

Barker was involved with the Seattle Adaptive Sports wheelchair basketball team, the Sonics. Seattle Adaptive Sports is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Seattle whose mission is to “enable people with physical disabilities to push beyond their limits and reach their full potential.” 

After Barker graduated from Edmonds, the basketball wheelchairs were no longer used on campus, as there had not been a wheelchair basketball team for a few years. Craig Kerr, Director of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), reached out to Seattle Adaptive Sports to see if they could use some additional chairs donated in RJ’s honor.