MISSION, British Columbia & BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tourism Mission, announced that it has become the first city in British Columbia to loan EnChroma® glasses for colour blindness to colour blind visitors and residents. Those who are red-green colour blind can borrow EnChroma glasses from the Mission Visitor Information Centre to experience the colours of nature, historical landmarks, artwork at museums and outdoor activities in and around town. Nestled in the Fraser Valley between Vancouver and Harrison Hot Springs, surrounded by beautiful mountains and scenic rivers, Mission is a popular tourist destination that is home to numerous first-rate recreational and cultural attractions.
One resident of Mission, Garrett Trueman, participated in the launch and said, “I am speechless, this makes me so happy as I can now teach my son his colours. This is truly a life-changing experience.”
“We are thrilled to be able to make the glasses available through a free-loan program, and accessible to those coming to Mission and the Fraser Valley,” said Clare Seeley, Manager of Tourism for the City of Mission. “We have been working hard to begin to address accessibility needs across the spectrum and so far, have added accessible doors, a hearing loop, and now colour blind glasses to our inventory, thanks to Federal Funding.”
The Tourism Mission Visitor Centre joins several other tourism bureaus that have teamed with EnChroma to make visits by colour blind guests more ‘colour accessible’ and memorable. They include Travel Yukon, Visit Seattle, the Tennessee Department of Tourism, the City of Prescott, Arizona and other destinations.
Click here to see more images of the colours of Mission as they appear to the colour blind, as well as photos and a video from the launch event on June 11, 2023 in Mission.
“We commend the city of Mission for enabling access to the myriad colours of nature, and those in other popular attractions and activities for which it is renowned, to colour blind guests,” said Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma. “Our glasses and scenic viewers have proven they encourage more people to bring a colour blind friend or loved one to a colourful destination to share an unforgettable, and more inclusive, experience.”
One in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (.5%) are Colour Vision Deficient (CVD); an estimated 1.6 million in Canada, about 1,750 residents in Mission, and 350 million worldwide. While people with normal colour vision see over one million shades of colour, the colour blind only see an estimated 10% of hues and shades. As a result, colours can appear dull and difficult to differentiate; red appears brown; green looks gray or tan; purple looks blue; and pink appears gray. This creates confusion for colour blind people and detracts from their ability to fully experience colours in art, nature, sports and travel.
A recent EnChroma study revealed that:
- Over three-fourths of colour blind people feel "left out" or disappointed in trips to art museums, gardens and parks because they cannot fully experience colours.
- Roughly three of four (71.88%) find it challenging to understand maps, brochures, signage and exhibits that convey information via colours at museums, parks, tourist destinations and concerts.
- More than half of colour blind people think museums, parks, gardens, tourist destinations, concert and sports venues should treat colour blindness as an accessibility issue (54.06%)
- Eighty-five percent of colour blind people say they would be more likely to visit a museum, garden, park or tourist destination if they knew they could borrow EnChroma glasses to more fully experience the colours during their visit (85.35%)
Click here to read about the study.
EnChroma Colour Accessibility Program™
EnChroma is the lead advocate for “colour accessibility” through its EnChroma Colour Accessibility Program™. The program helps over 200 museums, state and national parks, libraries, schools, universities, employers and tourism offices loan EnChroma glasses to colour blind students, guests or employees. EnChroma donates a pair for each pair an organization buys. Scenic viewers adapted for the colour blind with EnChroma lenses are also available and installed at 40 locations across 16 state and national parks, and in Canada and Thailand.
For information on the glasses loaner program at Mission: tourismmission.ca/visitor-centre/
EnChroma’s patented lens technology is engineered with special optical filters that enable people with red-green colour blindness to see an expanded range of colours more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly. The glasses are not a cure for colour blindness and reaction times and results can vary. More media materials are available here. A study by the University of California, Davis, and France’s INSERM Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, demonstrated the effectiveness of EnChroma glasses.
About Mission, British Columbia
The City of Mission is nestled on a southern coastal mountain slope, overlooking the lush valley of the mighty Fraser River. Founded in 1892, it was originally inhabited by the Stó:lō First Nations people. Today, this rapidly growing and dynamic centre is home to a population of over 41,000 residents. Ideally situated, Mission is just a 15-minute drive from the US border, and approximately 70 kilometres east of the City of Vancouver. Mission is surrounded by the incredible beauty of mountainous vistas and natural forest settings. The municipality has an open and welcoming attitude to its citizens and businesses, new residents, investors, and visitors alike. Come and see for yourself why Mission is such a wonderful place to visit. To learn more, go to mission.ca.
About EnChroma
Based in Berkeley, Calif., EnChroma produces leading-edge eyewear for colour blindness and low vision, and other solutions for colour vision, sold online and through Authorized Retailers worldwide. Invented in 2010, EnChroma’s patented eyewear combines the latest in colour perception, neuroscience and lens innovation to improve the lives of people with colour vision deficiency around the world. EnChroma received an SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It 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, and the 2020 Innovation Award in Life Sciences from the Bay Area’s East Bay Economic Development Alliance. Call 510-497-0048 or visit enchroma.com to learn more.
