Upcoming Workshops
We hold monthly hair and self-care workshops for blind and low vision women and young girls at Hackney Depot, East London.
If you want to feel empowered and learn more about your own hair care, as well as meet a group of amazing women, you can book a slot at our next workshop below.
If you have any issues booking, please contact hello@hairandcareproject.com
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Our Vision.
At Hair and Care, we want to see a world where Blind and low vision women are fully included, celebrated, and empowered in beauty, fashion, and culture.
Blind and low vision women and girls are too often excluded from the worlds of hair, beauty, and fashion - industries that continue to prioritise visual ideals while overlooking how people uniquely express their style.
This exclusion doesn’t just limit access -it can affect mental health, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging. Style and beauty aren’t just about what’s visible to the eye - they’re about feeling seen, valued, and included.
Our Purpose.
We want to change this. Our purpose is to disrupt practices, challenge assumptions and remove barriers, fostering inclusive industries and communities that empower Blind and low vision women, so they can express themselves creatively and confidently in every aspect of life.
Our Missions.
We aim to lead by our three founding missions within Hair & Care.
To achieve this, we do three things:
Tackle isolation by empowering self-expression and building self esteem
through practical hair styling workshops and community building
Challenge barriers and drive inclusion and representation at fashion week
forging high-profile designer partnerships, spotlighting diverse needs on global fashion stages
Driving greater inclusion through education and collaboration
with brands and professionals to create accessible products, services, and spaces that reflect the true diversity of women.
Our Journey.
In 2019, award-winning hairstylist Anna Cofone presented the idea of Hair & Care to the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC), and decided it was a perfect fit for their 'Sisterhood' community - an initiative led by Jessikah Inaba to give blind and low vision teenage girls a safe place to socialise and discuss sensitive issues during a time of lockdown.
The Hair & Care workshops were run as a complement to the services offered by the RSBC during the pandemic, and for 18 months we ran monthly zoom sessions to discuss the community’s hair needs and concerns. In 2021, the workshops were able to become face-to-face, taking place at Anna's studio in Hackney and connecting a community through physical presence and interaction.
Ever since then, we have aimed at organising and facilitating different events and socials to connect fashion and beauty together with the VI community - including our ‘Making Fashion Accessible’ initiative - and facilitate an open discussion about making accessibility and inclusion a priority.
Through regular monthly workshops, blind and low vision people have come together to develop their self-care skills, and connect with like-minded people. In 2023, Hair & Care was officially registered as a CIC and became a British Beauty Council Affiliate.
Photographer: Felicity Ingram
The Inspiration.
“Growing up, the importance of self-care was a constant reminder. My father was blind and I vividly remember people often complimenting his appearance, he never left home without a suit and tie, his hair groomed and his shoes always shined.
Looking back I realise that this was his own personal way of helping himself to feel seen.
Since his passing, it has been a lifelong goal to use my skills in hairdressing to help empower and inspire people with disabilities, particularly those who are blind, or have low vision.”
Anna Cofone
The NHS estimates that over 2 million people in the UK are living with vision disability. The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) reports that around 60% of blind and low vision people are women.
500
Since 2019, we've supported more than
500 blind and low vision women and young girls.
70
In 5 years, we've hosted and participated in over 70 activities to support the blind and low vision community.
80
We have upskilled and educated a network of over 80 hairstylists, committed to making hair care more accessible.
Why We Are Needed.
A survey commissioned by eye research charity Fight for Sight found that 40% of British people have or know someone with significantly reduced vision, and 1/3 of them have experienced mental health conditions.
Young people with low vision may experience emotional difficulties due to their condition. Coping with low vision can be challenging for many children and young people, without the needed support by family, peers and the local community.
Self-care and community building can have a tremendous positive impact on the VI community, and expand upon a deeper understanding of their identity.
Nearly 98% of VI and blind women feel their needs neglected by the beauty industry.
Worldwide, nearly 2.2 bln. people experience
blindness or low vision.
Only 10% of beauty and hair care companies cater to low vision people.
The Hair & Care Community.
What our attendees say about our work...
"Blindness is completely different from other disabilities. The advantage of other disabilities is that they can see and they can learn whatever they want by watching films, looking at hairdressers and methods but for us none of that is possible. The only way is to learn one by one in sessions like these, and Anna has kindly provided us with this time."
Workshop Participant
Contact Us.
Email.
5 Sheep Ln, London E8 4QS
CIC Number.
CIC registration No. 14645047