Miss-Delectable
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Eastwood deaf hairdressing student rejected by salons
A PROFOUNDLY deaf hairdressing student fears her progress is being thwarted by salons which won't give her a chance.
Angelina Green, 42, is a qualified junior stylist capable of cutting, colouring and perming hair after gaining an NVQ level 2.
To become a fully-fledged hairdresser, she needs work experience in a salon, but no one seems prepared to take her on. She believes she is getting turned down because of her deafness.
Angelina, who does the hair of paying customers at New College Nottingham's commercial salon in Hucknall, claims she has been rebuffed by 30 hairdressers.
She lives in Eastwood and has approached the salons in person and via textphone. One salon owner said her refusal had nothing to do with Angelina's deafness.
She said: "There are so many students coming through at the moment. I have a waiting list of about 20-30 for placements."
Angelina said: "No one seems prepared to take me on. Most of them say 'no, sorry' but I'm sure it's due to my deafness. I feel they haven't given me a chance."
Angelina, a mother-of-two, said: "Being deaf is not an impediment to being a successful hairdresser, and I can do anything that hearing people can do.
"Communication doesn't have to be a problem, as I have a very positive attitude and am prepared to try lots of different ways to communicate."
Angelina is helped by communicator Denise Chesters at college. She signs to her what her tutor or customer is saying and takes notes.
Denise said: "Sometimes it comes as a shock (to customers) at first but once they get used to it they're fine. Older clients have been very happy and patient. They have come back and had Angelina do their hair."
One satisfied customer is Denise Shepherd, from Hucknall, who recently had a complete restyle.
"I used to have a bob, now it's a short cut. I would certainly have Angelina again. I was more than happy with it. She cut it beautifully.
"She was very attentive and I had no problem communicating with her."
Angelina's ambition is to set up her own salon, which she hopes would be a draw for deaf clients.
Julie Abu-Aita, head of school for hairdressing at NCN, said Angelina was confident, hard-working and a pleasure to have in the group.
"I really feel what salons need to do is to give her a chance. They don't have to pay her."
Eileen Lawson, secretary general of the National Hairdressers' Federation, said: "I know of a couple of profoundly deaf people, newly retired, who have run successful salon businesses. It's not an issue which should be putting people off."
A PROFOUNDLY deaf hairdressing student fears her progress is being thwarted by salons which won't give her a chance.
Angelina Green, 42, is a qualified junior stylist capable of cutting, colouring and perming hair after gaining an NVQ level 2.
To become a fully-fledged hairdresser, she needs work experience in a salon, but no one seems prepared to take her on. She believes she is getting turned down because of her deafness.
Angelina, who does the hair of paying customers at New College Nottingham's commercial salon in Hucknall, claims she has been rebuffed by 30 hairdressers.
She lives in Eastwood and has approached the salons in person and via textphone. One salon owner said her refusal had nothing to do with Angelina's deafness.
She said: "There are so many students coming through at the moment. I have a waiting list of about 20-30 for placements."
Angelina said: "No one seems prepared to take me on. Most of them say 'no, sorry' but I'm sure it's due to my deafness. I feel they haven't given me a chance."
Angelina, a mother-of-two, said: "Being deaf is not an impediment to being a successful hairdresser, and I can do anything that hearing people can do.
"Communication doesn't have to be a problem, as I have a very positive attitude and am prepared to try lots of different ways to communicate."
Angelina is helped by communicator Denise Chesters at college. She signs to her what her tutor or customer is saying and takes notes.
Denise said: "Sometimes it comes as a shock (to customers) at first but once they get used to it they're fine. Older clients have been very happy and patient. They have come back and had Angelina do their hair."
One satisfied customer is Denise Shepherd, from Hucknall, who recently had a complete restyle.
"I used to have a bob, now it's a short cut. I would certainly have Angelina again. I was more than happy with it. She cut it beautifully.
"She was very attentive and I had no problem communicating with her."
Angelina's ambition is to set up her own salon, which she hopes would be a draw for deaf clients.
Julie Abu-Aita, head of school for hairdressing at NCN, said Angelina was confident, hard-working and a pleasure to have in the group.
"I really feel what salons need to do is to give her a chance. They don't have to pay her."
Eileen Lawson, secretary general of the National Hairdressers' Federation, said: "I know of a couple of profoundly deaf people, newly retired, who have run successful salon businesses. It's not an issue which should be putting people off."