St. Johns County Public Library Offers EnChroma Glasses for Color Blindness as Part of Color Accessibility Program

EnChroma, Inc. – inventors of eyewear for color blindness – and The St. Johns County Public Library System (SJCPLS), today announced that color blind patrons will be able to borrow EnChroma glasses at all six of the library’s branches. EnChroma glasses are engineered for the most common forms of red-green color blindness. The purchase of EnChroma glasses was funded by a generous $13,000 grant award from the St. Augustine-based non-profit Barbara A. Kay Foundation, through the Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine.

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Presentation of a grant for $13,000 for EnChroma glasses for color blindness from the Barbara A. Kay Foundation through the Friends of the Main Library St. Augustine. (Photo: Business Wire)

One in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women (.5%) are color vision deficient; 13 million in the United States and 350 million worldwide. With a population of over 250,000, St. Johns County, Florida, has an estimated 11,000 people with color vision deficiency. Access to EnChroma eyewear will enable color blind patrons of SJCPLS to borrow and wear the glasses for up to 14 days.

“The St. Johns County Public Library System is in the forefront of supporting accessibility and eager to serve the many needs of our community,” said Library Director Debra Rhodes Gibson of St. Johns County Public Library System. “EnChroma glasses will allow those who cannot see colors as well or vibrantly to enjoy and experience color as much as everyone else does. We are grateful to the Barbara A. Kay Foundation for helping to bring color accessibility to the people of St. Johns County.”

“EnChroma glasses enable those with color vision deficiency to experience the world in colorful ways they never thought possible, from the seemingly mundane to the life-changing,” said Andrew Schmeder, Co-founder and CEO of EnChroma. “We are thrilled that The St. Johns County Public Library System and Barbara A. Kay Foundation recognize that providing access to color through EnChroma glasses will enrich the lives of color blind people throughout St. Johns County. We hope that more libraries will join St. Johns in making EnChroma glasses available to their constituents.”

Nearly two years ago, the Johnson County Public Library (JCPL) in Indiana became the first library system in the nation to provide access to EnChroma glasses to those with color vision deficiency. “Having EnChroma glasses as part of JCPL’s Library of Things has given some of our color blind patrons the opportunity to see color for the first time in their lives,” said Elyssa Everling, Adult Services Librarian, Trafalgar Branch, Johnson County Public Library. “One of my favorite memories is of a patron who experienced the beauty of a rainbow the first time he tried them on. We love connecting our patrons with color blindness to this potentially life-changing resource at all four of our libraries.”

EnChroma continues to lead in advocating for “color accessibility” with the launch of the 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 students and guests to help make schoolwork that involves color, colorful exhibits, attractions and/or experiences accessible to the color blind. To learn more about the program contact [email protected].

Red-green color blindness is caused by an excessive overlap in the signals from red- and green-sensitive retinal cone cells in the eye, which causes colors that are normally seen as distinct and different to appear highly similar and confusing. Common color confusions include green and yellow, gray and pink, purple and blue, and red can appear brown. People with color vision deficiency are estimated to see about 10% of the one million shades that a person with normal color vision can see.

EnChroma’s patented lens technology is engineered with special optical filters to remove wavelengths of light where the red and green cones in the eye of the color blind overlap excessively. This enhances the separation between color channels to help them see colors more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly, helping them to overcome everyday obstacles and access more of life’s colorful experiences.

About The St. Johns County Public Library System

The St. Johns County Public Library System provides a variety of services to meet the needs of all its citizens in a friendly and courteous manner. The library system serves St. Augustine and the surrounding areas of St. Johns County, Florida through six branches and two bookmobiles. For more information please visit www.sjcpls.org.

About EnChroma

Based in Berkeley, California, EnChroma makes cutting-edge lens technology and eyewear for color blindness. Established in 2010 by a Ph.D. glass scientist and a mathematician, EnChroma’s revolutionary glasses combine the latest in color perception neuroscience and lens innovation to improve the lives of people with color vision deficiency around the world. EnChroma received a 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 510-497-0048 or visit EnChroma.com.

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