Lisa Anne, of Brisbane, Australia, has been cutting hair for over 30 years now. Of late, though, giving haircuts has become something of a passion to help “special kids,” as she calls them---meaning, kids who have autism.
That passion started with a 10-year-old autistic boy named Jordie Rowland, whose parents brought him into the barber shop where Lisa Anne worked at the time.
The young boy, who is non-verbal, was reluctant even to set foot in the shop, but once he was inside, he immediately wanted to run for the door. During that first visit, Lisa Anne wasn’t able to cut Jordie’s hair.
She did, however, put in considerable effort into helping Jordie feel comfortable in the new environment; she walked around the shop with him and even lay down on the floor with him. She managed to get a few snips in while he was distracted but was quick to stop when he became flustered.
Rather than being bothered by the hindrance, she perused the matter with compassion and took it upon herself to help the family.
“I felt that I'd failed, and it made me want to do better,” she said. “It made me want to learn more about autism so I could connect with him and take away his fear.”
Lisa Anne didn’t want to let Jordie or his parents down; autistic kids need haircuts too, after all.
So, she encouraged them to come back every two weeks or so around closing time, at no charge, hoping Jordie would get used to her and the shop.
However, it was no use. She even went to their home to try cutting his hair, but that didn’t work out any better, unfortunately.
Tending to autistic kids became something of a passion for Lisa Anne, and word got out about her commitment. Jordie continued to show up every two weeks, and for eight months, their fruitless efforts continued. Then, one day, it happened.
Lisa Anne started to sing “Wheels On The Bus” to calm him, and Jordie immediately looked at her, transfixed. She kept singing, and the boy allowed her to complete his very first full haircut.
“Tears were rolling down my face,” Lisa Anne said. “His mom was crying, his dad was crying, all of us.” It had been two years since Jordie had first set foot in her place of work, and he had finally bridged the gap.
The following week, everything had changed. She had one of her employees record a video while she sang and completed another full haircut for Jordie.
Lisa Anne has since built a host of “special kid” clients and has trained her staff to tend to their needs.
“To me, this is the cornerstone of a barber shop, making connections with people,” Lisa Anne said. “If you connect with people, your business will survive long after you’re here.”
