With love, creativity and assistive technology, a young man can pursue his vocation.
Karl was born in Germany on July 14, 2001, part of a loving family with mom Anna, dad Bill and younger sister Else. When he was just shy of turning three, Karl was in a car accident that took his dad’s life and left him with a serious traumatic brain injury (TBI). The family was forever changed. What did not change was Karl’s spirit, his quick smile and contagious laugh.
Almost 20 years later, Karl completed high school in the North Shore town of Two Harbors, Minnesota, where he and his family have been living since 2016. Like all young people, this milestone meant it was time for new adventures. In Karl’s case, it also meant overcoming new challenges.
Anna and her new husband David embarked on a quest to “help Karl meet the world on his terms.” They didn’t want Karl to just get a job. They were aware of the lack of vocational options for people with disabilities in their rural area, further limited by their son’s significant disabilities. Most importantly, they knew they wanted to support him in pursuing his vocation, to spread joy and hope.
Driven by David and Anna’s perseverance, and with support from VRS, Karl’s Wheelhouse was established in June of 2023, the 19th anniversary of the accident. At Karl’s Wheelhouse, Karl gets to spread joy and hope through handmade candles and wood engravings.
Though the agency has long supported businesses founded by people with disabilities, this was the first time VRS provided funding for a unique business model that defied existing categories. David and Anna manage Karl’s Wheelhouse on behalf of Karl and solely for the purpose of providing meaningful work for him. Karl’s team had considered other competitive integrated employment options. Northern Minnesota has a limited number of employers and, after an extensive job search, nothing was available. Customized employment was utilized to help uncover and identify areas of interest and ability for Karl.
Cindy Matheson, Karl’s rehabilitation counselor, took an innovative approach to secure funding to get the business rolling. The funding helped with the purchase of worktables, a laser printer, beeswax for candles, candle fragrances, and a CO2 laser engraver designed for commercial use.
Karl’s work includes picking out fragrances and safely initiating the laser engraver. He also packages orders and does local deliveries. Because his TBI affects his gross and fine motor skills, VRS funded the assistive technology he needed to do his job. Karl worked with VRS assistive technology specialist John Bredehoft and rehabilitation engineer Paul Schwartz, who adapted all the equipment especially for him.
As is the case for all VRS participants, a whole team worked behind the scenes with Cindy, John and Paul to make things happen. Josh Dean, the VRS small business specialist, provided guidance for the Small Business Program application, as well as consultations on the business plan. Staff from the Northern Lights Special Education co-op serving Two Harbors High School found ways to support the business idea and help bring it to life: Dee LeBlanc, work-based learning coordinator, Jessica Knutson, secondary transition coordinator, and Tina Olson, physical/health disabilities teacher, were all part of monthly calls with VRS staff and Anna and David.
Anna expressed her gratitude saying that VRS staff “represent a niche vocation with an impact not just on Karl, but in the broader community, including anyone who orders from Karl’s Wheelhouse and receives delight from Karl.”
Vocation Matters: A letter from Karl's Mom
By Anna Madsen
Karl was born into a family that cares a lot about the idea of vocation.
Ideally, a person enjoys meaningful work. Sometimes, maybe too often, what should be a vocation is merely a job, a task that gives us an income but no fulfillment. Work becomes a means to an end rather than a means to meaning.
That tends to be the case for people with disabilities, especially those with significant disabilities, who run a risk of landing in jobs rather than vocations. I did not want that to be the case for my son Karl.
Karl has some challenges because of his disability: His speech is thick, his response time is slow, his gross and fine motor skills are in some rough shape, and developmentally, Karl is far younger than his years. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a vocation. Karl’s vocation is to spread joy and hope.
A few years back, we were told that joy and hope aren’t in the wheelhouse of the systems set up to help people like Karl. So we created a new “wheelhouse,” where Karl can fulfill his vocation on his own terms: Karl’s Wheelhouse.
The Business Grows
Only a year after it was established, Karl’s Wheelhouse is already expanding:
- They hired Grand Marais-based designer
Molly Larson to create a new logo and website, https://karlswheelhouse.com/.
- They’re developing new products!
- They purchased a building where they’ll be selling Karl’s Wheelhouse products to the public. The building will be fully accessible.
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