World becomes more vivid for color blind visitors in Tazewell County
Jul. 3—tazewell, va. — Putting on a pair of special glasses gave four people a special gift Tuesday — being able to see the world's vibrant colors.
Four colorblind people who took a special survey on Facebook were invited by Visit Tazewell County and Enchroma company to Cavitt's Creek Park so they could try special glasses which lets them see the world's true colors.
"Today we are launching a partnership with Enchroma to help those who are colorblind be able to have an expanded visual experience at our park at Caviitt's Creek," said Tourism Director A.J. Robinson. "One in 12 men is colorblind. All of our participants today are men because only one in 200 women are colorblind, so not as frequent as the men. While we see millions of different hues and shades, those who are colorblind see only about 10% of that. And so, we really want to make our park accessible to everyone and by doing that we partnered with Enchroma to have these glasses that will be available to lend out free of charge for people to be able to come and explore the park and see it in the manner of those who are not colorblind."
The participants at Tuesday's demonstration were chosen after taking a Facebook survey, Robinson said. They were given free Enchroma glasses.
Each of the four took turns describing how colorblindness impacted their lives.
"I draw and I can't, like, tell the colors apart, said 12-year-old Joel Anderson of Bluefield, Va.
Gavin Littrell of Lebanon,Va., who attended Richlands High School, came to the demonstration with his girlfriend, Lexi. He attended Richlands High School and graduated as a salutatorian this year.
"A lot of my experience with being colorblind has affected my career more than anything," Littrell said."Two years ago I got into a pilots program through the Air Force and it was free, all paid for. I got in and the last thing I had to do is pass a medical. Failed the color vision part. Color vision has really affected me that way, and the small things in life that other people get to enjoy that I don't get to."
Jim Thomas of Abingon, Va. and his wife Holly, an artist, came to Cavitt's Creek Park to see nature and art in their true colors.
"I'm 67 years old. Recently my wife asked me to take a colorblind test that she saw on Facebook and I failed it. I was like, I told her I remember in the fourth grade taking a test and failed; and I've lived 60 years with colorblindness and my wife is an artist. And I don't think I've ever been able to fully appreciate the colors she uses in her paintings and her artwork. We saw this and decided to give it a try and see if it helps me. I just want to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to try this."
Dave Collins, 36, of Tazewell, Va. said he works in public safety and corrections. For much of his life, he did not know he was colorblind.
"About 12 years ago I went to a job interview — federal government — I'd never taken a colorblind test before," Collins said. "I failed miserably. It was like one of those things; if you don't know, you don't know. I had no idea that I was colorblind until then. Basically, the only time I can think it really affected me is disagreements with my wife and kids about the color of the clothes I was wearing."
Each participant took turns wearing the glasses and looking at two pots of red flowers set near an embankment overlooking Cavitt Lake. They stared at the flowers and the view, taking in the changes in scenery.
Littrell looked at his girlfriend, Lexi.
"Oh wow! Your dress is pink!" he said as he grinned.
Littrell looked at the flowers and at the rest of the scenery.
"They just pop out now. I didn't know red should be this red," he said. "This is so cool. This is amazing."
Collins tried on the glasses and looked around.
"Everything is vibrant," he said. "Not so dull."
Thomas's wife, Holly, brought along a painting for her husband to see. He put on his glasses and looked at the flowers first.
"Suddenly, the flowers are a lot more vibrant," he said. "So much more vibrant. I can't believe it, really. The flowers are so much more vibrant."
Thomas looked at his wife's painting of a man collecting cans along a roadside and studied it.
"The subtle tones are popping out," he told her.
"As an artist, I can't imagine what it would be like not seeing a full spectrum of colors," Holly Thomas said later.
Joel Anderson was getting indoor colorblind glasses so he can draw, but he decided to try out the outdoor model, too. He checked out the flowers.
"Looks red," he said. "Redder and brighter. They just stand out. The greens up close look greener."
Robinson said after that demonstrations that Visit Tazewell County is the first destination marketing organization in the Commonwealth to offer the colorblind glasses program to tourists and area residents.
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Contact Greg Jordan at [email protected]