Anythink Wright Farms now offers EnChroma glasses for checkout by adults and children with color blindness, or color vision deficiency (CVD). This specialty eyewear contains lenses with patented light filtering technology that allows people with red-green color blindness to see a broader range of colors more vibrantly, clearly and distinctly.

Search the Anythink catalog for EnChroma glasses kits and place a hold for a kit.

One in 12 men (8 percent) and one in 200 women (0.5 percent) 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 CVD only see an estimated 10 percent of hues and shades. As a result, colors can appear dull, indistinct and difficult to discern.

The library acquired several EnChroma glasses, available in various styles for adults and children with color blindness. The glasses vary by lens type, frame size and frame type. Anythink adds EnChroma glasses to its non-traditional item collection with the goal to support accessibility and inclusivity.

“The mission of EnChroma is to enable those with color vision deficiencies to access more of life’s colorful experiences, and overcome challenges in school and life, through our specially engineered eyewear,” says Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma. “We are excited to collaborate with Anythink to make its resources and offerings accessible to those with color blindness.”

Anythink was inspired by the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver)’s introduction of EnChroma glasses in December 2019. The glasses are available for visitors to borrow and use during museum visits. EnChroma lenses can help make the experience of viewing art and other activities more accessible and inviting.

Starting in December 2021, Anythink Wright Farms offers EnChroma glasses kits for checkout for up to three weeks. The kits include one pair of EnChroma glasses and a colorful book to view. A limited number of free MCA Denver passes are available to Anythink customers that check out the kits.

“The library is responding to community needs by offering EnChroma glasses to Anythink Wright Farms customers. The glasses offer a new perspective on the world,” says Stacie Ledden, Anythink director of strategic partnerships. “By making glasses available for checkout to customers experiencing CVD, we have the potential of helping 17,845 men and 1,093 women in Adams County see many colors for the first time.”

To celebrate the launch of this new initiative, the public is invited to a curated photo exhibition at Anythink Wright Farms, offered in partnership with EnChroma and MCA Denver. Photos on display are shown in both normal color and color-blind view. Click here to see some examples of these photos as they appear to people with color blindness. Through exploration of the exhibition, community members of all ages and abilities will have the opportunity to check out and test EnChroma glasses, experience colorful artwork and learn more about color blindness. The public can test its color vision at enchroma.com.

Community members are encouraged to share their experiences using Anythink’s EnChroma glasses by contacting Stacie Ledden at sledden@anythinklibraries.org.