The first time 10-year-old Jordie Rowland came into the barber shop it was a “disaster,” barber Lisa Ann McKenzie said. The stimulation of a haircut can be painful and terrifying for some children with autism, like Jordie.
“I felt that I’d failed, and it made me want to do better,” said McKenzie, who has been a barber for more than three decades. “It made me want to learn more about autism so I could connect with him and take away his fear.”
After the first unsuccessful haircut, she suggested to Jordie’s parents that they bring him back every two weeks at closing time, often at no charge. That went on for a few months.
Then the owner of the barber shop chastised McKenzie for allowing a customer to come in after closing time. Frustrated, she left that job, and soon after opened her own shop, the Celtic Barber Rothwell Central.
Every two weeks, Jordie would come by McKenzie’s shop after it was closed, and the music was turned down. This lasted about eight months. Then, a few weeks ago, they had a breakthrough. She sang “The Wheels on the Bus” to him. She gave him a full haircut for the first time.
“I’m trying to increase awareness for people not to judge,” she said.
By the time Jordie’s hair cut was a success, he was far from her only autistic customer. Word had gotten around town that McKenzie was pretty good with special needs kids, and she had started cutting the hair of many other “special kids,” as she calls them. She trained her four staff barbers to do the same. She estimates she now has about 100 such customers.
Later this month, she plans to hold her first monthly Sunday that is set aside “only for these beautiful, misunderstood children,” she said.
“It’s not always about the dollar,” McKenzie said. “To me, this is the cornerstone of a barber shop, making connections with people. If you connect with people, your business will survive long after you’re here.”
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Source: The Washington Post, 19 March 2018