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Color Vision Deficiency and the Geosciences

Declan De Paor, Departments of Physics & Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
23529, USA, ddepaor@odu.edu; Paul Karabinos, Department of Geosciences, Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts
01267, USA; Gerald Dickens, Department of Earth Science, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77005, USA; Christopher Atchison,
School of Education & Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, USA

ABSTRACT TYPES AND PREVALENCE OF CVD According to Maule and Featonby
(2016), most instructors underestimate the
Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) is a Common forms of CVD are called red- number of their students with CVD and do
common workplace disability. People with green (RG) CVD. Protan (red) or deutan little to accommodate them. Institutions
CVD read our papers and are most likely (green) photopigment molecules work provide accommodations to 88% of stu-
in all of our classes. Here we discuss the incorrectly (anomaly) or not at all (anopia). dents with disabilities who self-disclose,
common forms of CVD, assistive tech- Some 8% of men of mainly European, but only 40% of such students do so
nologies, instructional strategies, and North African, and Middle Eastern ances- (Wagner et al., 2005). Students strive to fit
guidelines for illustrations that will look try have RG-CVD. Prevalence is lower in and avoid special treatment, fearing bias
great to everyone. among other males and ~0.5% among all and stereotype. Research suggests that the
females. Male rates reach 15% in consan- willingness of instructors to provide
INTRODUCTION guineous populations (Shah et al., 2013). accommodations is based solely on how
Rare Blue CVD and monochromacy affect disabled a student appears (Rao and
In his 1973 hit Kodachrome, Paul Simon men and women equally. Effects range Gartin, 2003). Professors may think stu-
sang, from minor spectral shifts to total dents with non-apparent conditions are
dichromacy. malingering—trying to receive preferen-
“They give us those nice bright tial treatment, rather than reasonable
colors / They give us the greens CVD can be acquired but is usually accommodation to complete an activity.
of summers /… everything looks inherited. Dalton (1798) published the Whereas a student can pretend not to see a
worse in black and white …” first account of the condition that he dis- Ishihara plate number, it is impossible to
covered in himself after causing familial fake an anomaloscope. Students with veri-
However, everyone does not see colors scandal by gifting his mother racy red fiable CVD deserve support in lecture,
identically. GSA Today has 25,000 sub- lingerie, seeing it as beige (qi.com/info- laboratory, and the field.
scribers, so statistically, that will include cloud/color-blindness). His brother could
more than 1,300 individuals with CVD1. not see the problem either, leading Dalton OPTICAL AND DIGITAL
When authors neglect this in drafting to conclude that CVD was hereditary. We ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
illustrations, many readers miss key now know that the relevant genes are
points. A reader of De Paor (2016) pointed coded on the X-chromosome. Men inherit Glasses such as O2AMP™ and
out that one figure used a dark red line from parents or grandparents, whereas EnChroma® may benefit some anomalous
against a dark green background, prompt- women must inherit from both parents, trichromats. Today, microscopes often
ing this article. The paper proceeded hence the 16:1 ratio. output to monitors, and images can be
through review to publication because spectrally shifted with Photoshop™ or Fiji
those involved had fully functioning tri- TESTING AND ACCOMMODATING (fiji.sc). Visolve (ryobi-sol.co.jp/visolve/en)
chromacy, despite awareness of CVD and STUDENTS WITH CVD transforms images to help distinguish
a strong commitment to accessibility. ranges of colors. The Chrome browser’s
Here, we aim to increase awareness Instructors should include CVD in the Daltonize extension enhances contrast and
among authors, referees, editors, present- special needs sections of their syllabi and intensity, and there are bookmarklets for
ers, instructors, students, and administra- should present students with a pseudoiso- Firefox and Safari (daltonize.appspot.com).
tors, pointing to new optical and digital chromatic plate—a circle of multicolored Mobile apps such as Color Blind Pal iden-
assistive technologies, and highlighting dots that reveal a number given normal tify colors in the field of view, filter or
guidelines for CVD-compliant instruction vision (Ishihara, 1917). Students who cannot shift them, and highlight matching colors.
and illustration. see the number can take more sophisticated
tests such as anomaloscopes (Nagel, 1907).

GSA Today, v. 27, doi: 10.1130/GSAT322GW.1
1 We eschew the common term “colorblind” to avoid implying monochromacy, to support person-first language (“persons with CVD,” not “colorblind people”), and
to distinguish CVD from racially inclusive policies.

42 GSA Today | June 2017