Will Promote Inclusion and Accessibility for Those with Color Vision Deficiencies and Provide EnChroma Glasses to Color Blind Visitors
LANSING, MICH. – Sept. 22, 2023– Choose LansingTM has joined with EnChroma, creators of glasses for color blindness, to promote International Color Blindness Awareness Month. To heighten awareness for the prevalence and effects of Color Vision Deficiency (CVD), in the month of September Choose LansingTM, along with numerous other organizations around the world, will demonstrate its commitment to accessibility by undertaking activities to:
- Post to social media about International Color Blindness Awareness Month
- Encourage families with kids, and the public, to test their color vision by taking EnChroma’s two-minute color blindness test at enchroma.com
- Give away two pairs of EnChroma glasses to local attractions, the Michigan State Capitol and Potter Park Zoo, to share with color blind visitors
“Choose Lansing is proud to support Color Blindness Awareness Month,” said Julie Pingston, President and CEO of Choose LansingTM. “Providing EnChroma glasses to two of the region’s top attractions is one of many ways our community is becoming more and more accessible to visitors and residents alike.”
Color Vision Deficiency (CVD, or “color blindness”), affects one in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (.5%) – an estimated 13 million in the US and 350 million worldwide. While people with normal color vision see over one million shades of color, the color blind only see an estimated 10% of hues and shades. To them, green and yellow, gray and pink, purple and blue, red and brown look similar, and colors appear muted, dull and blend together. This can cause challenges in daily life, frustrate color blind students when doing schoolwork that contains colors, and make visits to colorful attractions like museums, parks, gardens and other destinations less enjoyable.
Click here for more images depicting how the color blind see the world.
The inspiration for International Color Blindness Awareness Month is the birthdate of John Dalton, a renowned English scientist recognized for his research on color blindness. Dalton, who was CVD himself, was born September 6, 1766.
“During International Color Blindness Awareness Month, EnChroma strives to educate employers, accessibility, safety and human resources directors, and teachers, about Color Vision Deficiency by partnering with other organizations and brands that are committed to accessibility,” said Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma. “We applaud the support of Choose Lansing in this worthy endeavor.”
Accessibility for the Color Blind
EnChroma is the lead advocate for “color accessibility” through its EnChroma Color Accessibility Program. The program helps public venues, museums, schools, state parks, libraries, tourism bureaus and others purchase and loan EnChroma glasses to color blind students and guests to help make schoolwork that involves color, colorful exhibits, attractions and/or experiences accessible to those with CVD. Over 200 organizations participate in the program. Click here to email EnChroma to learn more.
EnChroma glasses expand the range of colors the color blind can see and make colors more vibrant, clear and distinct. Studies published by vision scientists at the University of California, Davis and France’s INSERM Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, and the University of the Incarnate Word, have verified the effectiveness of the glasses.
Choose LansingTM
The vision of Choose LansingTM is to inspire everyone to celebrate and love Greater Lansing as much as we do! Which goes hand in hand with our mission, to positively impact our community’s quality of life by developing the region as a visitor destination.
Media Contacts:
Choose LansingTM
Julie Pingston
517-377-1412
Potter Park Zoo
Amy Morris-Hall
517-795-6122
Michigan State Capitol
Matt VanAcker
517-373-2353
EnChroma
Kent Streeb
530-908-9225