From police work to therapy, Walker helps others

Kimberly A. Walker, OTD, is a perfect example of the saying, “If you want something bad enough, you’ll find a way to make it happen.”

Walker, who earned a doctorate in occupational therapy in December, has exemplified the spirit of determination since birth, a difficult one in which her twin was stillborn, and Walker was left with cerebral palsy. But she has never let it get in her way.

Kimberly A. Walker, OTD (right), works in the Enabling Mobility Center at Paraquad with patient Lindsay Ervin. Walker, a December 2006 graduate, has personal experience living with a mobility limitation, which taught her that assistive technologies can be the difference between participating in activities and being left out, says Walker's mentor David Gray, Ph.D.
Kimberly A. Walker, OTD (right), works in the Enabling Mobility Center at Paraquad with patient Lindsay Ervin. Walker, a December 2006 graduate, has personal experience living with a mobility limitation, which taught her that assistive technologies can be the difference between participating in activities and being left out, says Walker’s mentor David Gray, Ph.D.

“Having a disability doesn’t mean that you have to stop doing things,” she says. “You do things a little differently, or you do different things.”

Walker cites the unwavering support of her encouraging parents as a key to her success.

Walker, who says she always had an interest in the medical field and occupational therapy, started working at age 14 in a family owned drug store.

At age 17, she told the owner she wanted the position of pharmacy technician. Although the store’s owner was initially concerned about her ability to meet the physical requirements of the job, he agreed to let her try it, and she flourished.

After high school, she considered studying occupational therapy because of her positive experiences with it.

“I was always drawn to occupational therapy because the therapists I worked with were good about asking me what I wanted to do and helped me find ways to make it happen,” she says.

But there wasn’t a university near her home in central Florida that offered a degree in occupational therapy, and Walker says she was not ready to leave the support of her close-knit family and other resources.

So, she became a 911 dispatcher for the Palm Bay (Fla.) Police Department, put occupational therapy on the back burner and earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice.

Although she liked law enforcement, she decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in speech/language pathology but quickly realized that wasn’t what she wanted.

She finished the degree and kept her job at the police department, where she was promoted to training officer of 911 dispatchers and later to communications supervisor.

During her tenure there, she became part of a hostage negotiations team, acted as the primary dispatcher for the SWAT team and joined the critical-incident stress team.

“I loved it, but it was extremely stressful,” she says. “After working there 15 years, I knew this was not what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”

At age 35, she faced a tough decision: Stay in a job she loved but had advanced as far as she could, or go back to school.

School of Medicine

“I realized I just had to jump in and take the chance,” she says.

Walker chose Washington University for both the master’s program and because her father’s family lives in St. Louis and offered their support.

She was so impressed that she enrolled in the doctoral program and conducted research with David Gray, Ph.D., associate professor in occupational therapy, through the Enabling Mobility Center at Paraquad, a non-profit organization that promotes independent living for those with disabilities.

Five months before Walker graduated, her father died. She questioned completing the program. “But I told myself I had to finish,” she recalls tearfully. “It’s what he wanted, and it’s what I wanted.”

Walker has been working full time for Paraquad since October as a coordinator of the Assistive Technology Reutilization Program, which provides refurbished assistive technology devices, such as motorized wheelchairs, scooters and walkers, at a discount.

Gray says Walker’s experience living with a mobility limitation taught her that assistive technologies can be the difference between participating in activities and being left out.

“She now helps others use these technologies to help fulfill their life goals,” Gray says.

For Walker, it is the right career choice. “Occupational therapy is what I wanted to do from the beginning,” she says. “I wish I had done it sooner.”