Cutting it! Seema's salon days

Running a hairdressing salon might not seem like the easiest way of making a living if you’re visually-impaired, but for Seema Flower it has proved the perfect career move. Nuala Calvi reports

Four years ago, Seema Flower was an education officer for the RNIB. With her eyesight deteriorating due to retinitis pigmentosa, she decided she wanted to move out of the disability field.

“I was finding it stressful enough dealing with my own problems around losing my sight, and dealing with my students’ problems at the same time was hard. So, I went part-time and decided to do something a bit different.

“I knew if I was going to lose my sight, working for someone else was likely to be tricky because there’s a lot of discrimination out there, so starting my own business seemed like the perfect thing to do.”

Seema was inspired to move into the world of hairdressing after experienc­ing one too many bad haircuts from salons that were less than enlightened about customers with visual impairments.

“I’ve been to salons where they put a gown on you without telling you that’s what they’re about to do, then they tell you to meet them by the sinks for a hair wash but don’t show you where to go. And they would just do the haircut without describing what they were doing.

“Some places wouldn’t tell me how much the cut cost, and if there was a big queue behind me I’d be too embarrassed to ask, so I’d just give them my card and sign the slip without knowing.”

At Seema’s salon, Colour Nation, her staff’s disability awareness is as important as their scissor skills.

“If they’re talking to a visually-impaired person they have to describe exactly what they’re doing as they go along, especially if they’re about to use a razor or scissors.

“They have to know how to talk to disabled people so that customers don’t feel patronised, and to be on hand to help but not to do things without asking first.”

With a visually-impaired boss around, staff have also learnt to be more aware of the space and not leave objects such as colour carts lying around.

“Of course, in a busy environment like a hairdressers it’s not perfect – occasionally, someone will leave a broom on the top of the stairs by accident and I’ll have to pull them up on it, but in general they’re very aware now.”

The Covent Garden salon has been designed with visibility in mind; walking in, one is struck by how light and bright the interior is, thanks to the well-chosen colour scheme, light wood floors and spot lighting – with dark coloured chairs and black nosing on steps to provide contrast. The salon’s price lists are available in large print if required.

As a result, Seema has several visually-impaired customers who have become regulars, although she never set out to target a disabled clientele.

Her own access needs are met through Access to Work, which provides an assistant to help her with tasks such as reading. However, finding computer software that is accessible has proved difficult.

“The software I need, they won’t do in an accessible format. And things like price lists and product info from companies like Wella and L’Oreal just aren’t available in accessible formats. It is a constant battle – with the banks, landlords, everyone, to get what you need, but you just have to keep on pushing them.”

While Seema’s role is a managerial one, she still finds there are people who balk at the idea of a visually-impaired person running the show.

“Some of them think, ‘If the owner is blind, how are they going to do my hair?’ But like any business, as a manager you don’t need to be able to do the thing your­self, you just need to be able to understand how it’s done.

“The suppliers also sometimes act surprised when they meet me. But if I’m choosing products, I just need to know what the information on the back of the packet says, and then it’s up to my stylist to tell me whether it’s worked or not.”

Four years on, Seema’s business now employs 13 staff and has grown from six hairdressing ‘stations’ to 17. The downstairs office area has been converted into hairdressing space and her salon is now a leader in colouring and hair straightening techniques.

So does she have any regrets about striking out on her own?

“Sometimes I think it’d be nice to have a nine to five job again and not have the responsibilities I do. Running your own business means you have to be prepared to put in over and above the normal working hours, because you’re on call 24 hours a day if something goes wrong.

“But I’m glad I’ve stuck with it. Owning my own company has taught me so many different skills and I’m a much more confident person as a result.”

• Colour Nation is at 53 Endell Street, London WC2H 9AJ (tel: 020 7836 8883). Haircuts start at £28, highlights £42