When most people think about disabilities, they might picture someone in a wheelchair or who is visually impaired using a walking stick. But what about color blindness? Is this considered a disability?
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at color blindness and discuss whether or not it is considered a disability, We’ll also explore some ways to make the environments more accessible to those who are color blind.
What Is Color Blindness?
Most people associate color blindness with the difficulty or inability to see colors in the world around them. The truth is, however, that color blindness refers to an inability to see colors the way most people see. In other words, color-blind individuals have a hard time telling the difference between reds and greens, or blues and yellows.
Color blindness is considered a minor disability. It can interfere with daily activities and be a cause of anxiety, but it doesn’t hinder a person’s ability to function fully in society.
1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women are colorblind, accounting for over 350 million colorblind people on the planet. The most common forms of color blindness are red-green and blue-yellow. There is also a condition known as complete color blindness (achromatopsia), though this is extremely rare.
Different Types of Color Blindness
There are two types of photoreceptors in the human eyes: Rods and cones. Rods are extremely sensitive. They are responsible for your eyes’ ability to adjust in a dark environment, allowing you to see simple forms. Cones, on the other hand, are what give us the ability to see color. Color blindness is caused by a lack of cone functionality.
There are three distinct kinds of cones in the human eyes. S-cones assist us in seeing blue, M-cones detect green, and L-cones perceive red light. Different sorts of color blindness are caused by the lack of different cones.
Most color-blind people have red-green color blindness. They have either no red cones (red-blind), fewer red cones (red-weak), no green cones (green-blind), or fewer green cones (green-weak).
Then there are those with blue-yellow color blindness. Some people have no blue cones (blue-blind) and some have fewer blue cones (blue-weak). One in every 33,000 individuals has monochromacy; they see only in black, white, and shades of gray. These people have the hardest time coping with daily life.
Environmental Designs to help the Colorblind
When it comes to environmental design, colorblindness is frequently neglected while braille is typically included for the blind. Because many hues appear similar to those with color blindness, certain signage can be quite tough to comprehend.
Even people who don’t use color to get their jobs done may face difficulties in the workplace. Many signs are influenced by this duality owing to our cultural acceptance of green as a symbol of “good” and red as a sign of “bad.”
Employers should keep in mind that many of their employees are colorblind, and make every effort to ensure that all signage is simple to read even if you can’t see the color distinctions. Having the color names as well as braille letters etched onto signage would be a good start. If there is color-coding, there should be different types of shapes or lines to assist those who are color blind.
The improved accessibility can also mean better business. For example, a clothing store can have in-store signage for various colors of clothes, as well as garment tags that have the color names and braille letters on them.
Conclusion
Although color blindness is a minor disability, it can still have a major impact on the lives of those who suffer from it. For this reason, it is important for employers to make their workplace friendly to the colorblind and help them boost productivity and lead a happier, easier life.
By making small changes in the workplace, such as using different shapes, or spelling out colors in documents and signage, employers can make a big difference in the life of someone who is colorblind.