The Carle Teams with EnChroma to Enhance Experience for Color Blind Visitors

Amherst, MA & Berkeley, CA — The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is the first art museum in Massachusetts to offer eyewear by EnChroma® to visitors with color vision deficiencies, or “color blindness.” Beginning March 1, guests with color vision deficiencies can borrow special EnChroma glasses from The Carle to experience the Museum’s picture book art in clear, vibrant color for the first time.  Eight pairs of eyewear are available, including glasses for both children and adults, indoor and outdoor use, and pairs adapted to fit over eyeglasses.  

“Eric Carle said his painted papers were like his palette. His collages began by painting tissue paper with bright, acrylic paints, creating colorful patterns across each paper. And by partnering with EnChroma we can now offer glasses to color-blind guests so they can better view those vibrant colors and designs, not only in the colorful collages of Eric Carle and other works in our collection, but outside appreciating nature in Bobbie’s Meadow” said Courtney Waring, director of education. 

One in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (.5%) are color vision deficient; an estimated 13 million in the United States and 350 million worldwide. While people with normal color vision see over one million shades of color, those with color vision deficiency only see an estimated 10% of hues and shades (see image below). As a result, colors can appear muted, indistinct, and difficult to discern.              

Here is an example of how an illustration from Eric Carle’s book, The Grouchy Ladybug, may appear to color-blind viewers:         

“The mission of EnChroma is to enable those with color vision deficiencies access more of life’s colorful experiences through our specially engineered eyewear,” said Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma. “We are excited to collaborate with The Carle to make its colorful works accessible to those with color blindness.” 

EnChroma’s patented lens technology is engineered with special optical filters that enable people with color blindness to see an expanded range of colors more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly. A recent study by the University of California, Davis, and France’s INSERM Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, published in the scholarly journal Current Biology, demonstrated the effectiveness of EnChroma glasses. 

EnChroma continues to lead in advocating for “color accessibility” through its 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, and colorful exhibits, attractions and/or experiences, accessible to the color blind.  

More information – including a global list of over 400 EnChroma Authorized Retailers – can be found at enchroma.com. Additional media materials can be downloaded here. 

About The Museum 

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is the international champion for picture books. We collect, preserve, and exhibit original illustrations, encourage guests of all ages to read and create art, and foster an ever-growing audience passionate about children’s literature.

The late Eric and Barbara Carle co-founded the Museum in November 2002. Eric Carle was the renowned author and illustrator of more than 70 books, including the 1969 classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Since opening, the 43,000-square foot facility has served nearly one million visitors. The Carle has 9,000 permanent collection illustrations.The Carle has three art galleries, an art studio, a theater, picture book and scholarly libraries, and educational programs for families, scholars, educators, and school children. Bobbie’s Meadow is an outdoor space that combines art and nature. Educational offerings include professional training for educators around the country and master’s degree programs in children’s literature with Simmons University. The Museum offers digital resources, including art activities, book recommendations, collections, exhibition videos, and workshops for online visitors. Learn more at www.carlemuseum.org and on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram @CarleMuseum.  

About EnChroma 

Based in Berkeley, CA, EnChroma produces leading-edge eyewear for color blindness and low vision, and other solutions for color vision, sold online and through Authorized Retailers worldwide. Invented in 2010, EnChroma’s patented eyewear for color blindness combines the latest in color perception, neuroscience and lens innovation to improve the lives of people with color 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. For more information call 510-497-0048 or visit enchroma.com. 

Media Contacts

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art 
Sandy Soderberg 
Marketing Manager
P: 413.559-6315 
sandys@carlemuseum.org 

EnChroma  
Kent Streeb 
Director of Public Relations and Partnerships 
P: 530.908.9225 
kent@enchroma.com