Written by Sheree Strange, Travel Without Limits, August 24, 2024
Virginia State Parks is leading the way in inclusivity as the first park system in the U.S. to install EnChroma-adapted viewfinders. Visitors to Virginia State Parks who live with color blindness can now see more than ever, with new EnChroma-adapted viewfinders at each of the park system’s 43 locations.
The viewfinders, developed by SeeCoast Manufacturing, have special EnChroma lenses that enable people with red-green Colour Vision Deficiency (CVD) to see an expanded range of visible colors.
The installation of the EnChroma-adapted viewfinders began in 2023 at Natural Tunnel State Park, an initiative led by Chief Ranger Ethan Howes, who is colorblind. This year, the viewfinders have been rolled out to all locations and funded by donations from the Round-Up For Parks Program.
“Seeing the world in vibrant color is a gift many of us take for granted,” says Virginia State Parks Director Dr. Melissa Baker. “The EnChroma viewfinders help us create a one-of-a-kind experience for our red-green colorblind visitors and allow them to better enjoy the breathtaking beauty of our state parks.”
Of the 8 million visitors to Virginia State Parks each year, approximately 341,000 are colorblind. This innovation will make the parks more inclusive and accessible for them for years to come.
About CVD: One in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (0.5%) are colorblind, approximately 350 million people worldwide. While people with normal color vision can see over one million shades of color, those with red-green CVD see an estimated 10% of those hues and shades. To people who live with CVD, colors containing red and green may appear dull, washed out, or indistinguishable. EnChroma’s patented lens technology places special optical filters in viewfinders to help people with red-green color blindness see an expanded range of visible colors.
“Virginia gives visitors unrivaled access to beautiful forests, breathtaking mountain views, stunning rivers, and the renowned colorful leaves in Fall,” says Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma. “Virginia is truly for lovers of the outdoors, but it’s also for lovers of color. That’s why we applaud Virginia State Parks for working with EnChroma to make its colorful beauty more accessible to those who are red-green color blind.”