The Council is excited to welcome a new and already vital staff member. Jaxon Baker came aboard as a Program Associate in September.
Jaxon hasn’t wasted any time demonstrating his professional commitment and warm spirit. He says people have called him soft-spoken, but when you hear his voice in person, soft-spoken doesn’t do it justice. It’s upbeat, friendly, empathetic and reassuring all at once. When an observer asked him about a product that was ordered that morning on the phone, he leapt out of his chair and said, “Let me show you!” So began the short walk over to the Sharper Vision Store showroom and a detailed explanation of one of the device.
A 2002 graduate of Argyle High School, Jaxon earned his Bachelor’s degree in Art Education at UW-Platteville. He’s currently enrolled at UW-Superior, finishing a degree in K-9 education (kindergarten through 9th grade, NOT dog training). He has two classes remaining and one semester of student teaching. He has three daughters ages 12, 16 and 17.
Jaxon and his husband Russell are both fiber artists, and if you ask, he’ll show you photos of their creations, including a huge Pokémon tapestry he created for one of their daughters. Jaxon brings valuable lived experience with vision loss to the Council. He is blind in one eye, and Russell lives with glaucoma and cataracts.
Jaxon says he first encountered the Council at a jobs fair sponsored by a former employer. “The Council came to a career fair to talk about assistive tech for students,” he says. “I never thought I’d be working here. Then a few years later they were looking for help and I applied. I really like it here. People just embrace you as a person.”
