Featured image credit: Supplied
Remember James Williams, the awesome barber who made worldwide news after helping a little lad with autism conquer his fear of haircuts by simply lying down on the floor with him?
Well, now James has launched a new initiative off the back of that experience which he hopes will help loads more kids with autism.
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It's called 'Autism Barbers Assemble' and the basic premise is that James and a load of other barbers have joined forces and are travelling across the UK to give groups of autistic children haircuts.
The group also sell stickers for hairdressers (of which all profit goes to charity) to show the public that they are autism-friendly establishments.
James told TheLADbible: "The first event is in Paisley in Scotland this coming bank holiday. We have about 40 children booked in with us who are on the autistic spectrum. Each appointment lasts an hour and is specifically for children who struggle to get a haircut. Our job is to tackle it head on and simply help them get it done - plus raise autism awareness and money for charity.
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"The idea behind the stickers is so that families can look out for these as it will show they are a safe place to take a child to help them get a haircut."
As if you couldn't love James any more than you already do, he's also decided to use his day off every week to open up his own barbershop just for children on the spectrum. He said: "On my day off, every Sunday, I do Facebook live videos to show people what I'm doing and also to raise autism awareness."
The little kid that started it all, Mason, has autism spectrum disorder. The condition can make it difficult for people to make sense of the world around them, which can lead to anxiety and fear.
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Other barbers had tried and failed to cut Mason's hair as he was terrified of the prospect of a haircut. His parents, Jamie Lewis and Denine Davies, decided to enlist James Williams back in November 2015, and see if he could do what others had failed to do.
James said that he'd been trying to figure out a way to cut Mason's hair for around a month. They tried out lots of different techniques (which included Mason regularly running away because he simply didn't feel comfortable enough) until Williams took the initiative to go down to the little boy's level to achieve the impossible, and he did.
At the time, James said: "Today I finally achieved it, where we both lay on the floor in silence and he allowed me to cut away and give him his first proper haircut, again achieving something in a job I love, making both parents happy by giving extra attention to Mason, and by building a friendship and trust with Mason and myself."
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Credit: Supplied
You can keep up-to-date with Autism Barbers assemble through its Facebook page here and its website.
Words by Mel Ramsay
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Autism