BERKELEY, Calif. & FAIRHOPE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EnChroma, Inc. – inventors of eyewear for color blindness – and SeeCoast Manufacturing Company, today announced three more organizations will offer specially adapted scenic viewers for those with color blindness. The SeeCoast viewers, powered by EnChroma’s patented lens technology for color blindness, will enable people with red-green color blindness to experience the colorful beauty of birds and wildlife at the world-renowned J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island, Florida; or to appreciate the stunning view of Mount Hood from the City of Sandy, Oregon; and marvel at the explosion of colors in the leaves and vegetation at Amicalola Falls State Park in northeast Georgia.
“The ability to see the colors of nature at some of the most beautiful locations on earth can be an evocative and exhilarating experience for those who are color vision deficient,” said Tony Dykes, Co-founder and CEO of EnChroma. “Along with SeeCoast, we are excited that these organizations have chosen to make the colorful attractions that draw millions of people to them accessible to the 350 million people in the world with color vision deficiency.”
“We applaud these organizations for being the first outside the state of Tennessee to accommodate color blind guests with these special viewers,” said Mrs. Geraldine L. Cain, Owner and President of SeeCoast Manufacturing Company. “Interest in affording color blind visitors the opportunity to see the natural world in truer color has been strong and we expect more cities, state and federal parks to follow suit soon.”
SeeCoast viewers, powered by EnChroma, help those with red-green color blindness to more fully experience the rich panoply of colors at state parks, scenic overlooks, wildlife refuges and other locations. One in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women (.5%) are color vision deficient; 13 million in the United States alone. While people with normal color vision see over one million shades of color, those with color vision deficiency only see an estimated 10% hues and shades. As a result, their color spectrum is more limited and their world view is duller, muted and certain colors are difficult to differentiate.
For images illustrating how people with color blindness view colorful settings at J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge and Mount Hood from the City of Sandy, please click here. Installation of the viewers will be announced in the near future, and a public dedication ceremony for each organization will be held contingent upon developments related to COVID-19. The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development was the first to introduce viewers to enable color blind visitors to see the changing colors in Fall foliage at 12 parks and scenic overlooks.
J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge
Operated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located on the subtropical barrier island of Sanibel in the Gulf of Mexico. The refuge is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the United States. It is famous for its spectacular migratory bird populations and annually attracts over one million birding and wildlife enthusiasts. “Ding” is the first national wildlife refuge, out of more than 560, to incorporate this technology for color blindness to comply with federal initiatives for increased accessibility. For more information, click here.
City of Sandy, Oregon
The city of Sandy, Oregon, is nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range and serves as the western gateway to the Mount Hood National Forest. A 2018 study cited it as the second-fastest growing city in the state. For more information click here.
Amicalola Falls State Park
On the cusp of the North Georgia Mountains sits Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge. A nature lover’s wonderland, it is only eight miles from the Appalachian Trail and within the Chattahoochee National Forest. The park is home to Amicalola Falls, a magnificent 729-foot waterfall that is the third-highest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi River. To learn more, click here.
EnChroma’s patented lens technology is engineered with special optical filters that increase the separation between color channels to help people with color blindness see colors more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly. EnChroma modified its lens format and filter design to deliver optimal performance in combination with the high-power zoom optics in SeeCoast viewers.
EnChroma continues to promote “color accessibility” through its EnChroma Color Accessibility Program. The program helps public venues, schools, state parks, libraries, museums and other organizations purchase and loan EnChroma glasses to color blind guests and students. To order viewers, or to learn more about the program, contact accessiblity@enchroma.com.
About SeeCoast Manufacturing Company
Started in 1960, SeeCoast Manufacturing Company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of American-made coin and non-coin operated telescopes and binoculars that both sells and concessions its own equipment. Their Telescopes and Binoculars are designed to spend years outdoors subjected to adverse weather and public use and can last indefinitely with minimal maintenance. SeeCoast’s viewers can be found in every U.S. state and in over 80 countries throughout the world. To learn more visit seecoast.com, call (251) 928-8882 or email seecoast@seecoast.com.
About EnChroma
Based in Berkeley, Calif., EnChroma produces cutting-edge lens technology and eyewear for color blindness, low vision and other color vision solutions sold online and through Authorized Retailers worldwide. Established in 2010 by a Ph.D. glass scientist and a mathematician, EnChroma’s revolutionary patented eyewear for color blindness 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) and 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. For more information call +1-510-497-0048 or visit EnChroma.com.