Color Factory, the #1 Immersive Arts Experience in the U.S., announced a transformative partnership with EnChroma, a pioneer in glasses for those with Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) to enhance the experience for color blind visitors to its locations in Houston, Chicago and New York.
Cutting-edge glasses are now available at all locations to allow individuals with red-green color blindness to better experience the joy of color.
EnChroma glasses are now available for guests with red-green color blindness to borrow during their time at the Color Factory. This collaboration marks a significant stride in Color Factory’s ongoing commitment to accessibility and ensuring that everyone can more fully experience the joy of color.
Color blindness affects one in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (.5%), an estimated 13 million people in the U.S. and 350 million people worldwide. With a population of 29 million, approximately 1.25 million Texans, and 98,000 in Houston alone, are color blind.
While people with normal color vision see over one million colors, individuals with red-green color blindness only see an estimated 10% of hues and shades. As a result, many colors containing red or green appear dull, muted, washed out or indistinguishable. For example, purple looks blue, red seems brown, gray appears pink and green and yellow may look similar.
Recognizing the importance of removing these barriers, Color Factory has joined forces with EnChroma to introduce the special glasses so more of those with red-green color blindness can better experience all of its captivating installations and colorful joy.
“We pride ourselves on taking extra care and effort to support inclusion and accessibility within our immersive art experience,” said Tina Malhotra, Color Factory CEO and CXO. “Being able to offer such a transformative visual aid like EnChroma to our guests truly strengthens our belief that color has the ability to spark delight and break down barriers.”
On April 24, at 10:00 a.m. CT, Color Factory Houston hosted four local volunteers with red-green color blindness as they shared their experiences donning the EnChroma glasses for the first time. The color blind people included a scientist, an artist, a restaurant manager and a college student.
“There are few experiences that celebrate color and engage one’s senses like a visit to Color Factory,” said Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma. “It is exciting to think of all those with CVD, along with their family and friends, now being able to play and discover together the ways color can bring joy to all.”
EnChroma Glasses
EnChroma is the lead advocate for “color accessibility,” helping universities, state and national parks, libraries, museums, and other organizations purchase and loan EnChroma glasses to color blind students and guests. EnChroma donates a pair of glasses for each pair an organization buys to lend to the public or students.
EnChroma glasses are engineered with special optical filters that help the red-green color blind experience an expanded range of colors more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly to make schoolwork that involves color, art, nature and other experiences more ‘color accessible.’ The program is also open to employers. Through partnerships with vendors, scenic viewers adapted for the color blind with EnChroma lenses are available.
EnChroma glasses do not cure color blindness and results and reaction times vary. The glasses enhance color for approximately 80% of red-green color blind people who have all three of the color cones in their retina functioning properly. Read this study by UC Davis on the effectiveness of the glasses.
Color Factory
www.colorfactory.co | @colorfactoryco
Color Factory is an interactive art exhibition that immerses visitors in a colorful world of creativity and fun. The exhibit is designed to ignite the joy and wonder of color within guests. Color Factory is a vibrant and exciting experience that features a variety of interactive installations, games, and activities that engage all the senses. Located in New York City, Chicago and Houston, the Color Factory is a popular attraction that draws visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Each location features a unique set of installations that are designed to reflect the character and personality of the city in which it is located.
EnChroma
enchroma.com | @enchroma
Based in Berkeley, Calif., EnChroma produces leading-edge eyewear for color blindness and low vision, and other solutions for color vision, sold online and through Authorized Retailers worldwide. Invented in 2010, EnChroma’s patented eyewear combines the latest in color perception, neuroscience and lens innovation to improve the lives of people with color vision deficiency around the world. EnChroma received an SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It earned the 2020 Innovation Award in Life Sciences from the Bay Area’s East Bay Economic Development Alliance.
All images courtesy of Color Factory.
Tags: art, Color, color blind, color blindness, color codes, Color Factory, Color Vision Deficiency, colorful, EnChroma, EnChroma Glasses, exhibitions, eyeglasses, eyewear, health, interactive, Top
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