EnChroma and The Newseum Partner to Make Exhibits More Accessible for People with Disabilities

WASHINGTON and BERKELEY, Calif., July 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EnChroma – the company bringing color to the color blind – today announced a partnership with the Newseum to make the organization's exhibits more accessible to people with disabilities. Through the partnership, visitors to the Newseum who suffer from Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) can borrow EnChroma's glasses to see and fully appreciate the colors in exhibits.

The announcement of the partnership coincides with activities by various groups nationwide celebrating the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Color blindness is often considered a mild disability, but studies estimate that two-thirds of the 300 million people with CVD feel it's a handicap. One in 12 men, and approximately one in 200 females, have some form of CVD, of which approximately 80% can be helped by EnChroma eyewear.

"This partnership underscores our commitment to ensuring that all of our exhibits and programs are accessible to people with disabilities," said Donna Baker, ADA compliance officer at the Newseum. "We are excited to work with EnChroma so that our color blind visitors can learn from and enjoy all of the Newseum's exhibits."

In the color blind, EnChroma's glasses re-establish the correct balance between signals from three photo-pigments in the eye. Once the correct ratios entering the eye are re-established, the correct color can be perceived.

"EnChroma's mission is to help people with color vision deficiency experience the same color in their work, social and artistic lives as people with normal color vision," said Tony Dykes, CEO of EnChroma. "We are pleased that those with color blindness will be able to see more colors in each exhibit when they visit the Newseum."

In addition to making its glasses available for color blind visitors to borrow at the Newseum, EnChroma's eyewear will also be available for purchase in the Newseum's gift shop. EnChroma's Cx indoor glasses and outdoor sunglasses come in prescription and non-prescription eyewear, and in polycarbonate for pediatric, sports and industrial safety usage. They can be purchased online and shipped anywhere in the world. Try EnChroma for 30 days risk-free by ordering at EnChroma.com or from one of our retail partners listed on our website.

About the Newseum

The mission of the Newseum is to champion the five freedoms of the First Amendment through exhibits, public programs and education. One of the top attractions in Washington, D.C., the dynamic, engaging and interactive museum allows visitors to experience the stories of yesterday and today through the eyes of the media while celebrating the freedoms guaranteed to all Americans by the First Amendment. The Newseum Institute serves as a forum for First Amendment study, exploration and education. The Newseum is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations, including the Freedom Forum. The Freedom Forum, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit foundation, conceived and built the Newseum, which first opened in Arlington, Va., in 1997. Over the past 20 years, the Freedom Forum has contributed more than $250 million to the Newseum, the largest philanthropic gift ever made to support First Amendment freedoms. For more information, visit newseum.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About EnChroma

EnChroma is dedicated to positively impacting the lives of the estimated 300 million people worldwide with color vision deficiency. EnChroma has developed a robust line of innovative eyewear products with cutting-edge optical technology for men, women and children. The company is led by a team of seasoned researchers, engineers and technology experts, backed by an advisory board of world-renowned vision scientists. Based in Berkeley, California, EnChroma emerged from a National Institutes of Health SBIR grant designed to study the feasibility of correcting color vision deficiency. To reach us please call 510-497-0048, email [email protected] or visit enchroma.com.

SOURCE EnChroma

Related Links

http://www.enchroma.com