More businesses are working to find ways to accommodate customers who may be overwhelmed by bright lights or loud noises. It’s an effort to serve individuals with sensory sensitivities.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Some people struggle with sensory overload. We had a guy in the program last year who said he finds the subway overwhelming. He has to time his ride for when it’s less crowded. Other people have sensory processing difficulty when they’re getting a haircut – bright lights, lots of touch. Nebraska Public Media’s Arthur Jones visited a hair salon that wants to respond.
ARTHUR JONES, BYLINE: Sensory Suite Spot on Omaha’s westside is a barbershop that caters mostly to kids. What’s different about this salon is it provides sensory-accessible haircuts. Here, clients who are bothered by loud sounds or sensitive to touch can get their own room away from others, play with fidget toys and can watch TV.
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UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) My tummy feels good.
JONES: Owner Juanita Incontro got the idea from her sister, who had tried to offer sensory accessible haircuts at other salons, but she was always eventually asked to leave because her clients were considered disruptive.
JUANITA INCONTRO: As her big sister, I decided to open up our own salon suite that would cater to anybody with sensory needs.
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STEPHANIE SKOGSETH: Hi.
INCONTRO: Hey.
JONES: Stephanie Skogseth is an enthusiastic client. Her 5-year-old son, Harrison, didn’t come with her today, but she has been bringing him to the shop since it opened five months ago.
SKOGSETH: He loves cars and trains. Yeah, he’s just this happy, energetic boy.
JONES: Her son has been diagnosed with autism. So sometimes, all of the close buzzing sounds and the touching that take place in a typical salon can be overwhelming for him. But Skogseth says the barbers know how to work with their son, giving him breaks when he needs them, and are able to cut his hair even if he is having a difficult day.
SKOGSETH: They understand that, and they never once make me feel guilty about it. They never once make me feel like, control your child, or anything like that.
JONES: According to the American Medical Association Journal, 1 in 6 kids have sensory processing difficulties. Although this Omaha salon is one of the few fully sensory accessible ones in the region, it reflects a growing trend to make everyday life easier for individuals who may experience anxiety or discomfort or could have strong physical reactions to environments they find overwhelming. Meg Raby Klinghoffer works at KultureCity, an international nonprofit that certifies organizations that want to learn more about sensory needs. She says it’s important for them and others to understand the difference between offering people sensory-friendly spaces – which are temporary accommodations – and sensory-accessible ones.
MEG RABY KLINGHOFFER: By providing sensory accessibility and inclusion 24/7, you’re pretty much just giving them something naturally that they need to function at their optimal levels, and you’re not putting, like, a time frame or limitations on that. I mean, that is inclusion, right?
JONES: Autism advocate and author Kaelynn Partlow says even though haircuts may seem like a small example of sensory accessibility, places like Sensory Suite Spot fulfill a need.
KAELYNN PARTLOW: You know, there’s a handful of folks who are not able to leave their homes without certain sensory accommodations. And without that, they will not be able to participate. So it’s hugely important for just inclusion and access purposes.
JONES: Partlow’s main bit of advice for parents like Stephanie Skogseth is to keep advocating for accessible spaces. Skogseth says she has no plans to stop fighting for her son.
SKOGSETH: As a mom, my biggest fear with raising a child on the spectrum isn’t so much him as much as other people, and, like, making sure people can be kind to him in his differences.
JONES: And she says that is exactly what she gets at Sensory Suite Spot.
Oh, there you go.
UNIDENTIFIED BARBER: Great job.
JONES: For National Public Radio, I’m Arthur Jones in Omaha.
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