This western New York barbershop may not be wheelchair accessible, but the barber sure is.
Hairstylist Victor Burgos, 34, of Webster, was photographed giving a trim to a man in a wheelchair in front of the shop after the man had trouble getting inside.
“It’s about making sure everyone gets a proper grooming,” Burgos told InsideEdition.com.
Burgos, who has been working at Joe’s Upscale Barber Shop for the last three-and-a-half years, explained their shop is in an older building and doesn’t have a wheelchair ramp.
He was just finishing up an appointment over the weekend when he saw a man in a motorized wheelchair lingering outside.
Moments later, their shop’s phone rang, and the voice on the other side spoke through an assistive electronic device.
“As soon as he said, ‘Do you guys take walk-ins?’ I knew that’s who was outside,” Burgos said. “I immediately ran out there with two other barbers to see if we could get him in somehow.”
They quickly realized it would be impossible to lift the wheelchair up the steps.
“We weren’t going to be able to get this heavy duty thing in here so I took my cordless barber clippers, trimmers, shavers, and sheers, straight blade, comb – everything I need to give him the same haircut that he’d get if he came inside.”
Instead of wheeling him to the back or bringing him around the side of the building, Burgos also made a point to cut his hair right in front of the shop, to show others he was as proud to cut the man's hair as any other client.
“He definitely needed a haircut," Burgos said. "It looked like he hadn’t had a haircut in about a month. It was pretty shaggy [and] I know how good it feels to get that weight off of you. I could tell that he’s never had a good experience. I could tell without even asking him, and I just wanted to change it for him."
The man in the wheelchair was so satisfied with his experience, he even sent his aide to get a haircut in the shop a few days later.
Ever since their photos went viral on Facebook, community members have been organizing their efforts to help the barbershop get a ramp.
Until then, Burgos said he’s happy to cut the man's hair outside, whenever he needs a trim.
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shifter2000 on September 20th, 2018 at 21:17 UTC »
There's the 'Should be' and a 'Reality' of a situation.
In the 'Should be' world you can argue about disabled access or the lack thereof - but that's not going to help. In the 'Reality' world, limited access for disabled people is a common occurrence (and they know this, but many won't kick up a fuss). However, it's what those do with the reality that really makes a difference to people's lives. In this case, the guy wanting a haircut.
The barber could have said "no can do sorry - go elsewhere", however he saw a problem, and figured out a way to solve that problem, which was based off the reality both people were presented with. In doing so, he helped a fellow human.
This barber will be getting a lot more customers...
FoodandWhining on September 20th, 2018 at 19:09 UTC »
"F*#& IT, WE'RE DOIN IT LIVE!"
jlangton2 on September 20th, 2018 at 19:08 UTC »
This is the barber shop I go to, these guys are really great. The attention is well deserved!