Kids With Special Needs Smile When They Sit on This Barber's Chair for Haircuts

A barber in Ohio has already done 300 free haircuts for children with special needs.

Vernon Jackson, owner of the barber shop Noble Barber and Beauty in Cincinnati, Ohio, knows how to get the attention of the kids he gives haircuts to and their hearts and smiles. And this is not an easy thing to do, especially since the kids he serves are those with special needs, which means that most of the time, they struggle with sensory overload and, thus, dread going to the barber shop for a haircut.

Jackson shared that it's "all hands on deck," ensuring that the kids in his chair keep smiling from start to finish. There are times this would mean that he needs to dance. Other times, it is belting his heart out with one of Taylor Swift's hits.

In a viral TikTok video that has already hit nearly three million views, Jackson was seen with 7-year-old Ellison, born with Down syndrome and a congenital heart defect, playing the stop-and-go game, one which they had just created together. Jackson needed to stop the razor whenever Ellison said so and resumed doing his hair only when he said go, and the game just sent the kid into fits of laughter.

   @thebest1period Everyone here’s the video without the music! Idk what tik tok did‍️ but please consider donating! All of my cuts for my gifted clients are paid for by donations  ♬ original sound - Author • Barber • Speaker     

"When I meet a child, I'm really meeting them where they are, and not where I want them to be," declared Jackson, who has been doing this "noble" thing since 2021 when he noticed that some of his customers needed more accommodations and understanding than the others.

The Gifted Event

A desire to help has been in his heart ever since then. Thus, he took to his social media account and posted about his plan to serve kids with special needs through his barber shop, offering free haircuts. Immediately, friends and community members started sending him messages to sponsor the haircuts.

That tiny step gave birth to The Gifted Event, Jackson's program that offers free haircuts to kids who have various medical conditions such as autism, Down syndrome, and spina bifida, according to Good Morning America.

The barber, licensed cosmetologist, and stylist, who has been cutting hair for more than a decade, intentionally set aside "blocks of time" in his calendar to serve kids with special needs, and he does this for free.

Not only does he make time for it, but he "earmarks specific windows" in his schedule to ensure that each child is given the amount of time they need and also for him to spend more quality time with them.

Jackson expressed that what he gets from every haircut and encounter with the child is priceless.

He shared that he is always left in awe whenever he sees parents bursting into tears or grandparents and fathers getting emotional over how their kids enjoy the haircut, which both kids and parents were anxious to do.

Read also: Disney Delivers Magic to Kids With Special Needs, Launches New Adaptive Roleplay Costumes

'Life-changing'

Ellison's mom, Julie Eubanks, was with him during the haircut. As a mom of a kid with special needs, she, and her husband, also dread going to the barber shop because they know it would be a battle. However, when they visited Jackson's barber shop that day, her anxiety disappeared.

She went on to share with USA Today that it felt so good that they had one less thing to worry about with all the many obstacles they face daily. She described Jackson's encounter with her son as "life-changing," especially since they found a barber shop that could be their safe place, a place that not only welcomed them without judgment but also helped them with their child.

Jackson, whom other parents also call a "special hero," shared that his heart and service for the special kids comes from knowing how it feels like to be different, looked past at, and not be accepted. He wants to share with these kids how to love themselves in his own little ways.

Related Article: Mom Shares Her Reality In Parenting A Child With Special Needs: 'It Feels Like Drowning'