Assessable Web Based Instruction for the Color Blind

One of the most wonderful changes in the information age has been the explosion of color that is now free for use in the design of instructional materials.  Unfortunately, this has left behind an overlooked group, color blind and low vision computer users.

This problem hit home for me a few years ago when I was teaching an undergraduate computer application class, and noticed that one student could not keep up because he kept selecting the same links on the lab exercise.  He could not see the difference between visited links and unvisited links.  As I watched him work, I suspected that there might be a problem with his perception of color. He had a vision exam and  this confirmed that he had a type of red/green color blindness. This was an adult student who had not known that he had this problem until he began working with computer media.

Think about how often we use color in our media to highlight information.  In this presentation, I created images that simulate what a color blind individual sees.  The purpose was to make teachers and trainers aware of this issue.  If you work with media to communicate in an educational or training environment, you might find these images surprising. You will also find the Vischeck site highlighted  in the presentation to be very helpful in checking your media.

I have written and presented on many topics related to creating a better classroom.  Of  all of  presentations I have given, this is one of my most requested presentations.  It was also the source of one of  my most touching memories.

After I presented on this topic to a group of teachers, one woman stayed behind to speak with me after the room had cleared out.  She had a son who was color blind and this had worried her  for years.  She had sorrowed  that her son would never know the beauty of a world of color since he had a red/ green deficiency.  With tears in her eyes, she told me how relieved she was to know that this was not true; that his world was not black and white but tinted like someone wearing  sunglasses.

For this mother and all of the mothers of these children, I decided to post this presentation. It is very rare for someone to have no color vision at all.  In most cases, true black and white vision is caused by a head injury (most commonly not wearing a helmet in a motor bicycle accident). Most color blind individuals see color but  not all the colors.

I hope that this is comforting to the family members of these individuals and that teachers and parents of these students find this information useful.  This presenttation is easier to view as a full screen presentation.

Assessable Web Based Instruction for the Color Blind