On April 25, officially announced its partnership with The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an effort and outcome spearheaded by Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) assistant professor Laine Stewart, MLS.
EnChroma creates glasses for color blindness and partners with universities across the country to bring glasses to educational settings through its Color Accessibility Program for Education. Stewart happened across the program in the fall of 2022 while researching potential solutions for a color-blind student in one of her classes. She had taught color-blind students in the past but wondered if there was any opportunity to make life a bit easier for them in the already rigorous CLS program.
Defining Color Blindness
According to EnChroma鈥檚 research, one in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (0.5%) are color blind 鈥� 13 million in the U.S., 30 million in Europe, and 350 million worldwide. With a total student population of 31,593 and 13,108 faculty and staff, based on national trends roughly 1,343 students may be color blind along with 557 faculty and staff at 黑料网-Chapel Hill. Within the Department of Health Sciences鈥� student population of approximately 400, the statistics would indicate about 17 students are color blind.
While people with normal color vision see more than one million shades of color, the color blind only see an estimated 10 percent of hues and shades. Common color confusions include green and yellow, gray and pink, purple and blue, and red and brown. These colors often appear muted and dull and can be difficult to tell apart.
鈥淭he color-blind students I have taught in the Clinical Laboratory Science program have all been highly capable but were at a decided disadvantage when learning to read biochemical reactions involving color or identifying cellular characteristics under the microscope using polychromatic stains,鈥� said Stewart. 鈥淪eeing how these reactions and cells likely appeared to them using a color-blind simulator makes me amazed at what they had to overcome.鈥�
Challenges with Color in CLS
Stewart鈥檚 student, Trent Biggers, did not know he was color blind until he was a teenager. His older brother initially discovered his own color blindness when he applied to enter the military, which prompted Biggers to be tested as well. During his education prior to joining the CLS program, Biggers鈥檚 color blindness did not cause many issues 鈥� maybe the occasional slight confusion on colors on a PowerPoint presentation, but nothing that would negatively impact his career path.
However, once he shifted his focus to pursuing a CLS degree, Biggers鈥檚 colorblindness became a constant obstacle. 鈥淚t was an eye-opening experience in the program and I had to come up with my own roadmap when it came to figuring out new areas in the lab, like micro,鈥� said Biggers. 鈥淚t was a struggle, and I spent lots of time asking questions and clarifying things with my professors. Instead of it being a low-profile thing that I just happen to have, I was confronting my color blindness daily as I learned how to work within my chosen profession.鈥�
Biggers persevered with the help of his instructors and secured a job months before he was set to graduate. But, when his supervisor learned he was color blind, Biggers had to take multiple color blindness tests to ensure he could keep his job. 鈥淚 understand the concern, because it is scary to consider how my color blindness could affect patient care,鈥� said Biggers. 鈥淗owever, when I first began interviewing with my employer, they didn鈥檛 know EnChroma glasses existed. The glasses should help me pass the qualification testing for my job and support me in my day-to-day role in the lab.鈥�
EnChroma Kickoff for 黑料网 Students and Faculty
Thanks to Stewart鈥檚 outreach to EnChroma and ensuing partnership, Biggers was gifted a pair of EnChroma color blind glasses to use in his day-to-day. He tried the glasses for the first time alongside two other Department of Health Sciences students and one 黑料网 faculty at a kickoff event on April 25. Biggers and his peers spent nearly an hour using their new glasses to take in the details of 黑料网鈥檚 central campus, including red brick walkways, spring flowers, painted banners and even their own clothing.
Since then, Biggers has been wearing the glasses more often to allow his eyes and brain to adjust to the color changes. Just before his graduation in May, he joined Stewart in the CLS student laboratory to give the glasses a spin while viewing colorful cultures and samples in the microscope.
鈥淲hen I wear the glasses it鈥檚 surprising to see new pops of color 鈥� red, for example,鈥� said Biggers. 鈥淚 look forward to experimenting more with the glasses while I鈥檓 in the lab. I want to see if there are things I didn鈥檛 even know I couldn鈥檛 do, that I can do now.鈥�
Color Accessibility for 黑料网鈥檚 Campus
Stewart鈥檚 work to support her student manifested into an opportunity to bring EnChroma glasses to the entirety of 黑料网鈥檚 campus. Though the kickoff event participants each received his or her own pair of glasses, multiple pairs for indoor and outdoor use are now available to check out through 黑料网 Libraries 鈥� students, faculty and staff can access the glasses at the Health Sciences Library and Davis Library.
鈥淚 am excited to have EnChroma glasses available to offer to future students with color vision deficiencies to make Clinical Laboratory Science more accessible to them and make their learning experience more equitable,鈥� said Stewart.
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