WOMAN WITH DISABILITIES FINDS NICHE WITH TONER/ INK

[Anonymous]

http://www.superiortelegram.com/articles/index.cfm?id=33235&section=news
Woman with disabilities finds niche with toner, ink mirco-enterprise
One
day a week, Leah Karlon shines like a rock star. The Superior High
School graduate wheels into her alma mater every Friday — not as a
visitor — but to do her job.
“When she comes in here to deliver
cartridges she just lights up,” said Leah’s father, Rick Karlon.Leah
provides toner and ink cartridges for SHS printers and copy machines
through her business, Leah’s Special Services. “She supplies the whole
school,” said Julie Urban, school secretary. “There’s probably 50
printers.”

The service is good; the price competitive, according
to Urban.“When I order, I typically order from her,” she said.The
micro-enterprise business began months after Leah, who is challenged by
cerebral palsy, received her diploma last spring. The Superior woman is
confined to a wheelchair and uses a DynaVox to assist with
communication.“When she left school, that last day, all of us stood
there and cried,” Rick said. “We wondered how we would replace all the
school district provided.”“She’s a very aware young lady and a very
intelligent, capable young lady,” said SHS psychologist Dana Parask.
“It would be very unfortunate if she just went home.”For 16 years, the
school district had provided the assistance Leah needed to be
productive — including a para-educator and case manager. After
graduation, she faced an up to 10-year waiting list for similar state
services to assist her transition into adulthood.“Without basic
assistance from the Community Options Program she was poised to sit at
home,” Rick said. “It’s a sad prospect to have her just sitting, no
stimulus of laughing, talking, seeing other people.”Although programs
like the Challenge Center and Superior Vocations Center provide work
opportunities to many adults with disabilities, they weren’t viable
options for 21-year-old Leah.“Without assistance, there’s absolutely
nowhere she could go,” Rick said, although Leah is able to attend the
vocations center for brief periods of time.He and his wife, Dawn, began
looking for alternatives. They attended seminars and meetings to gather
information on micro-enterprise. Since no program fit Leah, she
followed in the footsteps of both parents and became
self-employed.“Dawn and I had to pick something from either her world
(Lifestyle Pilates) or my world (Great Lakes Office Solutions), Rick
said. “We chose something from my world.”Leah’s Special Services,
launched last fall, focuses on Leah’s strengths — her people skills,
intelligence and office experience. She had worked as a runner for the
SHS office when she attended school there.“We’re trying to create
something that gives her a sense of independence and that she enjoys,”
said Leah’s mother, Dawn.“But it has to be viable,” Rick said.

The micro-enterprise gives Leah both social interaction and a sense of purpose.
“It
was built for Leah, with Leah in mind,” Dawn said, and they hope it can
someday expand to include more young adults like their daughter.Many
parents don’t have the resources to launch a business for their child.
But Leah’s story gives new hope.“She hasn’t waited for services,” said
Linda Burhans, independent living specialist with North Country
Independent Living (NCIL). “She’s gone ahead and done it despite a lack
of services.”“She has success,” said Scott Anderson, benefits
specialist for NCIL. “Why can’t others?”

Both the city of
Superior and Douglas County departments are considering contracting
with Leah’s Special Services.“It meets a business need,” said Superior
Mayor Dave Ross, and “it meets the need of those that are disabled.
They don’t need to be sidelined. They can be involved.”The Karlon
family met their challenges head-on by providing a market-based
solution, Ross said.County Administrator Steve Koszarek said he was
impressed with the family’s innovative, get-up-and-go approach. While
the county has to get best price for the taxpayers, Koszarek said, “We
would certainly like to use Leah’s services.”If Leah can get enough
contracts, she will be able to employ a co-worker/aid of her choosing,
not mom and dad.

Leah’s smile as she delivered a cartridge to
Urban recently told its own story. She envisions aqua uniforms for the
business and looks forward to expanding its reach beyond her friends at
SHS. Like the Taylor Swift song, “Just a Girl,” Leah is “a girl trying
to find a place in the world,” Rick said.This family isn’t waiting for
government help. They hope the community will support Leah’s Special
Services like SHS has.“This already is a success story,” Rick said.
“She can’t wait for Friday to go to the school district account.”

[Author]

February 13, 2009 at 3:41 PM