Starting on April 15 the Make A Way Foundation will offer sensory haircuts at the Birdie Thornton Center.

“I just saw a huge need for that in our community, and I’ve gone into homes with some children and worked with their ABA therapists on getting them used to haircuts,” Rebecca Chandler said.

Chandler, who works at Crowning Touch in downtown Athens, says that haircuts have been difficult for her son Silas who has Down Syndrome.

“I just feel like it’s been laid on my heart to to start something within our community to take that stress off of parents. I know it can be stressful to have a child with special needs,” Chandler said. “I just feel like this is a good opening for me to just help our community out and bring about something that I don’t think that we have.”

The salon at the center is right across from the sensory room, allowing kids to be able to come and go from the salon as they need to.

“What a lot of kids struggle with is the sights and the sounds and the smells of a salon,” Make A Way founder Stacey Givens said, explaining that the salon will only host one client at a time and is small in size. “So if the child needs a break in the middle of the haircut, they can.”

The sensory room onsite will allow kids a space to experience their emotions.

“It’s just a very safe place for them to have whatever raw emotions they need to have. Rebecca is very sensitive to their needs, and so she’s going to be very, very gentle and very patient and take as much time as she needs with each individual,” Givens said.

To make an appointment with Chandler at the Center, text Stacey Givens at (256)-683-3617 or message the Make A Way Foundation Facebook page.