Color Blindness Fact Sheet For Teachers/Schools

WHAT IS COLOR BLINDNESS:

Color blindness is also known as color vision deficiency, is the decreased ability to see color or differences in color. For example, for some colorblind people, a dark red ball could be seen as brown, or any purple object could be seen as blue.

Color blindness is very common, affecting more than 350 million people worldwide, 1 in 12 boys and 1 in 200 girls are colorblind. There could be at least one colorblind child in every classroom.

Colorblind Simulator |How Colorblind People See The World?

Color blindness is caused by a difference in how one or more of the light-sensitive cells found in the retina of the eye respond to certain colors. Usually, color blindness is a genetic condition and an inherited one.

Color blindness is mostly an inherited condition. There are several different types of color blindness that exist due to genetic variation.

There are several different types of color blindness that exist due to genetic variation. Many people think anyone labeled as “colorblind” only sees black and white – see the world as a black and white movie. But this is a big misconception and not true for a majority of colorblind folks. In fact, it is extremely rare to be totally colorblind.

Symptoms of color blindness usually aren't noticed until children start learning the names of colors. Kids and teens who are colorblind see shapes, lines, and everything that anyone else can, they just don't think about certain colors the way others do.

HOW TEACHERS CAN HELP COLORBLIND STUDENTS?

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The first step is getting to know and understand what colorblind students can and cannot see — read this blog it will help you understand and meet colorblind students' needs much better.

The second step is to find out which one of your students is colorblind. You can easily show the pictures below to your students (one by one) those that can't see the number most probably are colorblind and need to have a colorblind test. You should inform their parents to take a color vision test.

The third step is to understand what colors your colorblind student is not able to see and don't use them.

Lighting is important. Bright, low, inside, or natural light can affect color recognition. The brighter the light the easier it is to recognize color. Seat colorblind children in good natural light.

Teach color deficient students the color of common objects. Knowing what color things are can help them in their daily tasks. (grass is green, bananas are yellow, etc). We made a video for them in the Colorblind Guide online course for children.

Label all craft items that have colors like markers, crayons, and paper. So the child will not fall behind in art or struggle.

Write using a black marker on a whiteboard and avoid any colored markers, or use white chalk on the blackboard instead of colored chalk to maximize contrast. Try to avoid using yellow, orange, or light tan chalk on green chalkboards.

Educate all students on what colorblindness is – it’s usually easier to be accepting of a problem when you understand what it is. There are images you can use to show a child how things look to a child that sees normally versus a child that cannot see all colors properly. For this purpose, we’ve made a special video about people with supervision, that explains color blindness in a positive and easy-to-understand way. If you want to access this video today, please, contact us to get the link: info@colorwill.org

Work as a team – pair up students together or assist colorblind students on standardized tests (which are not colorblind friendly).

Try not to use color-coding (such as on a bar graph, map, or other objects). If you do, write the color with the item that might represent it, to aid your colorblind student.

In sports and games (including board games), ensure that children can see who is on his or her ‘team’.

Use a colorblind screen filter, to ensure that the child can pick out the relevant information.

Assign a classmate to help color-deficient students when assignments require color recognition. Example – color-coding different countries on a world map.

Graphs and charts use color to illustrate facts. Use secondary indicators such as patterns rather than, color.

For art class, you should organize a color palette for the student to remember where different colors are located. Label all craft items that have colors like markers, crayons, and paper.

Be patient with colorblind students during classroom activities. It's easy to get frustrated or think a child is not trying when they guess their way through certain activities.

There is an online course available for colorblind children that can help students and parents deal with color blindness in the right way.

www.colorwill.org

Are there currently any treatments for color-blindness?

There are no preventative treatments as it's genetic. However colored filters, spectacles, and contact lenses have been introduced that can alter someone's color perception. They might allow the wearer to see a few more colors or colors nearer to how a person with normal color vision would see them, but it doesn't really solve the issue. Color blindness affects so many aspects of our life. You can learn some tips & tricks at this online training course designed for colorblind people.