National Museum of Wildlife Art Announces Support for International Color Blindness Awareness Month

The National Museum of Wildlife Art (NMWA) announced that it has joined with EnChroma, creators of glasses for color blindness, to promote International Color Blindness Awareness Month for the month of September. To heighten awareness of the prevalence and effects of color vision deficiency (CVD), NMWA, along with numerous other organizations around the world, will demonstrate its commitment to accessibility by undertaking activities to educate the public about CVD, encourage Museum visitors to test their color vision by taking EnChroma’s two-minute color blindness test, invite color-blind people to come to the Museum to try EnChroma glasses, and raffle off two pairs of EnChroma glasses to color-blind visitors.

“This partnership with EnChroma to raise awareness for color blindness will promote inclusion and accessibility for those with color vision deficiencies,” says Museum Director Steve Seamons. “Our staff strives to expand accessibility of the Museum’s permanent collection and color blind glasses are an integral component of that. We’re excited to be able to give away two pairs of glasses!” Color blind visitors will have the entire month of September to enter the raffle and can inquire in person at the front desk of the Museum. Museum hours for September are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

CVD affects one in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (.5%)–an estimated 13 million people in the United States. 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.

“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 the National Museum of Wildlife Art in this worthy endeavor.”

©Peter Gerakaris, Caravan (Owl), 2012. Purchased with funds generously donated by Adrienne and John Mars, National Museum of Wildlife Art. Color Blind Conversion Courtesy of EnChroma

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. NMWA offers the use of complimentary EnChroma glasses for anyone visiting the Museum.