Color Blindness
Affects approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women in the world. ("Colour blind awareness,")_
Living in a Color Saturated World
Having color blindness can change your life. We live in a color driven society where nearly everything is associated with color. Companies market their products using color as a primary element. This is meant to enhance their product, make it more appealing, but it is useless and even hindering to a person who is color blind. Color blindness introduces many barriers to the affected person's life. A person who is color blind my have difficulty watching one or more television programs based on the colors used for the set and clothing. Given the set and clothing characters might fade into the background. They may have trouble choosing or buying clothing as matching certain colors or hues is difficult. Fashion is difficult, as they may have trouble choosing outfits or matching clothes based upon color. Cooking holds yet another challenge as uncooked and well done meat both look the same. Driving can be difficult as colored traffic signals and color coded signs serve as symbols of our traffic laws. It is difficult for someone who is color blind to distinguish if the light is red or green and even if the lines on the road are yellow, white, or there at all. Transportation systems such as subways or buses that use color coding on their maps and schedules to show routes are difficult if not impossible for the color blind person to read.
School can be difficult as color blind students must not only learn their colors but have to overcome color enhanced instructional materials and delivery systems. Textbooks are enhanced with colored text, pictures, and diagrams that are used to add interest and depth to the material. Maps are color coded. Worksheets in younger grades use color as a matter of assessment. For example, a worksheet may ask that the ball be colored red. Students with color blindness will have trouble with these tasks. With the introduction of smart boards into classrooms color blind students have a new challenge in the classroom. Many times these boards use colored writing and instructional materials that color blind student cannot see or understand
Below is a link to a video where Evans Forde explains what it is like to be color blind and how he has adjusted to living in a color saturated environment.
School can be difficult as color blind students must not only learn their colors but have to overcome color enhanced instructional materials and delivery systems. Textbooks are enhanced with colored text, pictures, and diagrams that are used to add interest and depth to the material. Maps are color coded. Worksheets in younger grades use color as a matter of assessment. For example, a worksheet may ask that the ball be colored red. Students with color blindness will have trouble with these tasks. With the introduction of smart boards into classrooms color blind students have a new challenge in the classroom. Many times these boards use colored writing and instructional materials that color blind student cannot see or understand
Below is a link to a video where Evans Forde explains what it is like to be color blind and how he has adjusted to living in a color saturated environment.