Karl was born into a family that cares a lot about the idea of vocation.

It’s this notion that we all have gifts and those gifts matter; we are all part of a community and that community matters; and where these elements overlap is where we claim and share what we’ve got with those who could use a dose of it.

Ideally, a person enjoys meaningful work, and then in one way or another the community thanks them for the work, because the community thinks that the work is meaningful too.

Sometimes, though (in fact way 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.

All too frequently, people with disabilities, and especially significant disabilities, run a risk of landing in jobs rather than vocations.

Karl’s Wheelhouse was born because Karl has a disability.

In 2004, an accident occurred. Karl’s papa died, and Karl suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Karl has some challenges to be sure: 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.

Turns out that people with disabilities don’t only have challenges.

They offer challenges.

So, to rise to the challenge, we created Karl’s Wheelhouse.

Here, Karl helps pick out the fragrances, initiate the laser printer (and keep careful watch on it to make sure nothing catches fire!), packages the orders, and will happily deliver them to local addresses.

Through the benefits in living in a state like Minnesota, where people with disabilities can receive solid support, we are presently working with an expert in assistive technology for the workplace. He’s evaluating the tasks that Karl could do but has yet difficulty doing, and with new tech (like switches, levers, buttons, and other augmentations) in hand, Karl will be able to help out even more!

So come on in to Karl’s Wheelhouse.

Here you’ll find Karl, in his wheelchair, rolling around to spread some joy with his candles, some North Shore gladness with his etchings, and some hope—tangible hope, even—that everyone’s vocational gifts matter, as does everyone.