A jumble of buckets and bottles sits on a white table in Simon Vanderloo’s small kitchen. While heating a large container of coconut oil in the microwave, his older sister, Caroline Short, carefully measures out a blend of fresh-scented essential oils. The brothers, who are from New Westminster, BC, make handmade soap every Tuesday. It’s something they’ve been doing together since the first days of the pandemic. “We started making soap during COVID when Simon and I had a little extra free time,” Short said. “We learned how to make it together and quickly discovered that Simon is very good at it.” Vanderloo is 28 years old and lives with Down syndrome, which occurs naturally when a person has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. Short always believed in his potential and often wondered what it would be like to start a business with him. “When I found that making soap was a good activity for both of us, I thought, ‘Why don’t we try to make something bigger with this?’ Short said. With Vanderloo also wanting to do more, the pair created a company called Simon’s Soapbox.
The idea behind the name is that the business is a platform that Vanderloo can use to showcase and share all of his skills. Simon Vanderloo and Caroline Short showcase their product, which they sell online and at community markets. (Source: Caroline Short) “From the beginning I wanted to keep Simon at the heart of our operations. It’s almost like the business is Simon’s voice, trying to be creative and show people a different way to hear Simon and show what we can do together,” Short said. Caroline Short and Simon Vanderloo are a soap-selling brother-sister and barrier-breaking duo. (Source: Caroline Short) Launching a start-up wasn’t easy, but the brother-sister duo were determined to make it work. Not only did they start producing large batches of soap, they also designed their own packaging and secured an e-commerce website. While Vanderloo sometimes struggles with his speech, his enthusiasm for his company is undeniable. He especially likes how they now produce five different varieties of body bars and a soap specially made for cleaning the kitchen. Simon Vanderloo and Caroline Short work together not only to make soap, but also to promote the benefits of meaningful employment for people with developmental disabilities. (Photo by Melanie Nagy/CTV News) Short says the business has helped her brother gain a small income and a new sense of purpose. He also believes they help start a conversation about the benefits of employing people with developmental disabilities. “A lot of people think that staying in the workplace is really hard and requires a lot of work, but with a little curiosity, learning and listening work can be easily transformed and accessible.” (Photo by Melanie Nagy/CTV News) (Photo by Melanie Nagy/CTV News) According to the Canadian Syndrome Society, more than 50 per cent of people with the condition struggle to find work despite having skills that many employers are looking for. The organization says people with Down syndrome are often mistakenly viewed as less capable and less valuable in the workforce. “I want to encourage people to think differently about disability and how we can improve our workplaces because inclusion benefits everyone at the end of the day,” Short said. Simon Vanderloo and Caroline Short, founders of Simon’s Soapbox, sell their products at a Metro Vancouver community market. (Source: Caroline Short) With the help of his sister, Vanderloo often sells soap at farmers markets and craft fairs in Metro Vancouver. In addition to promoting his product, he uses the opportunity to share his story to break down stereotypes. Short says that when clients talk to her brother, who is known to lighten the mood with a gentle prank or joke, she can “see them start to think differently as their assumptions about him start to change.” (Source: Caroline Short) Changing people’s perceptions and celebrating the contributions of people with developmental disabilities is the foundation of Simon’s Soapbox. As for the company’s future focus, both Short and Vanderloo hope to grow the business so they can hire others who need meaningful employment.