Cool Thing: Viewfinders for the Color Blind
Color blind visitors to 13 Tennessee state parks will be able to see the changing fall foliage in a whole new way this year.
The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development installed 13 special viewfinders with EnChroma lenses designed to alleviate red-green color blindness.
“One of the main pillars we promote in Tennessee is our scenic beauty,” said Kevin Triplett, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “The reds, oranges and yellows in the fall and the incredible colors in the spring are a staple of what comes to mind when people think about Tennessee or visit here.
Tennessee Department of Tourist Development
A still from a state video shows a color blind man seeing fall colors for the first time through a special viewfinder.
“But to realize, through red/green deficiencies and other forms of color blindness, there potentially are more than 13 million people in our country alone who cannot fully appreciate the beauty our state has to offer, we wanted to do something about that. We wanted to provide opportunities for more people to see what those of us who can may take for granted.”
But, as with many things to do with state government, West Tennessee got shorted.
Two of the 13 special viewfinders have been installed here. East Tennessee got seven. Middle Tennessee got three. Yes, mountains and all that…but still.
The closest viewfinder to Memphis is at Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park’s Poplar Lake, near the the nature center. The other in West Tennessee is at Chickasaw State Park, near Henderson.
For more information, check here.
