A kind-hearted woman has opened north Dublin's first-ever autism-friendly barbershop.
Drumcondra woman, Sarah Darby runs The Master Barber Shop in Fairview that's been making waves in the area. Sarah, 32, told Dublin Live: "I've been barbering for 15 years and there’s so many parents who struggle to get their kids’ hair cut.
"I thought I should start doing this on Sundays just to cater for them, you know?" Sarah hosted her first Sensory Sunday on January 15 and it was a resounding success.
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She said: "I had a behaviour analyst in to work with the kids. They got 45 minutes on their own. They had sensory bean bags. They had iPads, they had Youtube. They had sensory toys and certain sensory lights and music."
She added: "Every person is different. With the kids, there’s certain ways you can distract them. They don’t like the scissors and the comb, especially to the back of their neck or ears.
"But if I use the hairdryer at the same time for some of them, it actually distracts them from the comb or the scissors going near them."
Sarah, who also worked in England for four years, said: "I was doing house calls to autistic kids because they had nowhere to go and I didn't have a premises at the time to cater for them. It was a big thing for me to do when I opened the shop."
And the response has been phenomenal, said Sarah, who opened her barbershop just two months ago. "Any parent I’ve had in so far with their kids, I’ve had great reviews. I cater to all ages.
"I had an autistic woman of 52 come in today and she’s been cutting her own hair all these years because she was afraid to go anywhere. But she came in because she saw my ad and she couldn’t thank me enough."
The Master Barber Shop is located inside the Euro Spar in Fairview. Haircuts are appointment-only and you can book your slot by calling 0858010884.
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