Study Finds Arts, Nature and Tourism Less Appealing to People Who are Colour Blind

- Nearly Half Say Condition Affects Their Desire to Visit Art and Other Museums, 77% Are Disappointed in Visits to Colourful Attractions, 84% Want More “Colour Accessibility” -

Berkeley, CA & Denver, CO – May 16, 2023 – EnChroma – creators of glasses for colour blindness – today announced that a study of 505 colour blind people has unearthed numerous ways in which their inability to perceive colours negatively affects their interests in the arts as well as visits to museums, state and national parks, gardens, sporting events and colourful tourist destinations.

Announced at the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo (Booth #829) taking place in Denver, the study asked colour blind people how Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD) impacts their enjoyment of various activities that involve colour. Half of respondents said colour blindness affects their interest in going to art and other museums (49%), and over three-fourths feel "left out" or disappointed in trips to art museums, gardens and parks because they cannot fully experience the colours. Nearly 60 percent (57%) said colour blindness affects their desire to create art. Two-thirds have trouble differentiating the jersey colours of opposing sports teams.

Additionally, “colour accessibility” and “colour literacy” is problematic. Roughly three of four (71.88%) find it challenging to understand maps, brochures, signage and exhibits that convey information via colours at museums, parks, tourist destinations and concerts. And 84% say venues rarely or never consider their needs in their usage of colours. 

“This landmark study clearly illustrates that colour blindness detracts from the ability of millions of people to enjoy a variety of experiences as fully as those with normal colour vision,” said Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma. “People with Colour Vision Deficiencies have strongly voiced the need for tourist sites, museums, gardens, concert and sports venues to treat colour blindness as an accessibility issue that should be addressed.”

One in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (.5%) are colour blind – 13 million in the US, 30 million in Europe, and 350 million worldwide. For them, understanding colourful information in school, at work, in nature, during travel, at museums and in daily life can cause obstacles. While people with normal colour vision see over one million shades of colour, the red-green colour blind only see an estimated 10% of hues and shades. Common colour confusions include green and yellow, gray and pink, purple and blue, and red and brown, with colours appearing muted and dull. This creates frustration for people who are CVD and detracts from their ability to fully experience colours in art, nature, sports and travel. Click here for images depicting how the colour blind see colours at museums and other attractions. 

Highlights from the EnChroma Study:

  • 14% of colour blind people say family and friends do not take them to colourful museums, parks, gardens and tourist destinations because they're colour blind
  • 8 in 10 colour blind people say they were made fun of for colouring something "wrong" as a child or adult
  • More than half of colour blind people think museums, parks, gardens, tourist destinations, concert and sports venues should treat colour blindness as an accessibility issue (54.06%)
  • Eighty-five percent of colour blind people say they would be more likely to visit a museum, garden, park or tourist destination if they knew they could borrow EnChroma glasses to more fully experience the colours during their visit (85.35%)
  • Seven in 10 colour blind people want state and national parks to offer scenic viewers adapted for the colour blind with EnChroma lenses (69.90%)
  • Almost 8 in 10 colour blind people want museums, parks, gardens and tourist destinations to adapt signage, guides and exhibits for colour blind guests to eliminate problematic colours (77.82%)

At AAM in Denver, Visitors to EnChroma Booth #829 can:

  • See colourful artwork and exhibits as they appear to colour blind people
  • Learn how to make their museum “Colour Accessible”
  • Bring colour blind people to try EnChroma glasses
  • Test their colour vision with EnChroma’s #1 online Colour Vision Test
  • Watch a brief presentation about 90+ museums that already participate in EnChroma’s Colour Accessibility Program™
  • Learn how EnChroma glasses work
  • Find out how Museum Stores and Gift Shops can sell EnChroma glasses

To receive the full data from EnChroma’s study, email accessibility@enchroma.com.

EnChroma Colour Accessibility Program™

EnChroma is the leading advocate for accessibility for those with colour blindness. Nearly 200 public institutions— including over 80 museums in addition to libraries, schools, universities, national parks, gardens, employers and tourism bureaus—participate to help colour blind visitors more fully experience colours in art, nature, and overcome obstacles to learning. Renowned museums that loan EnChroma glasses to guests include the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, The Centre Pompidou, Van Gogh Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, Gallerie d’Italia, MCA Denver, Chau Chak Wing Museum, Timken Museum of Art and many others. EnChroma donates a pair of glasses for every pair an organization purchases. EnChroma also provides materials for institutions to educate the public or teachers, students, and parents about colour blindness and its effects. Organizations interested in joining the program can email accessibility@enchroma.com.

Media: Additional media materials can be downloaded here. EnChroma glasses are engineered with special optical filters that help the colour blind see an expanded range of colours more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly. A study by the University of California, Davis, and France’s INSERM Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, demonstrated the effectiveness of EnChroma glasses. 

About EnChroma

Based in Berkeley, Calif., EnChroma produces leading-edge eyewear for colour blindness and low vision, and other solutions for colour vision, sold online and through Authorized Retailers worldwide. Invented in 2010, EnChroma’s patented eyewear combines the latest in colour perception, neuroscience and lens innovation to improve the lives of people with colour vision deficiency around the world. EnChroma received an SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It earned the 2016 Tibbetts Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration in recognition of the firm’s innovative impact on the human experience through technology, and the 2020 Innovation Award in Life Sciences from the Bay Area’s East Bay Economic Development Alliance. For more information call 510-497-0048 or visit eu.enchroma.com.

Media Contacts:
EnChroma
Kent Streeb
Vice President, Communications & Partnerships
P: 530.908.9225
kent@enchroma.com