#21 When Communication Is Cut-off So Is Too Much Hair

Ray Stevens instructs the listeners of his Haircut Song; use a barber you know or you'll end up looking like Larry, Curly or Moe (see lyrics here).

In his 1993 song, George Thoroughgood demands; 'Get a haircut and get a real job!'

Both songs make light of the routine practise of getting your hair done, but what would it be like if you went in for a haircut and you were unable to communicate what you wanted done?

Dawn Kreutz tells her story in an article I came across recently. Here's an excerpt:

Dawn Kreutz of Eden Prairie still remembers the bad experience she had several years ago and how it made her feel. “Angry!” she typed on her communicator. She had gone to her regular salon for a trim. A new stylist “grabbed handfuls of hair and just cut.” Kreutz could not stop the stylist. Her mother Marilyn had stepped out for a few minutes and Kreutz hadn’t brought her communicator. When Marilyn returned and saw what was happening, she confronted the stylist, but the damage had been done. Two repair attempts left Kreutz with shorter hair than she wanted and a style that took months to grow out. Learning from the experience, Marilyn and Joanne Musick, Kreutz’s personal care attendant, now monitor salon visits carefully.
(Click here: Getting a good haircut to read the article in its entirety).


Can you imagine not being able to communicate with your hair dresser?

Disclaimer: Views in the Not Being Able to Speak series are derived from my personal experience with Carter. I do not speak on behalf of others with complex communication needs. It is not my intent to minimize or disregard the power of expression that can be found through the use of augmentative and alternative forms of communication.