CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) – It was a unique experience for Delia Hudson as she enjoyed the entire color spectrum at the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill on Wednesday with her 15-year-old son, who is colorblind like her.
“I don’t know how to put it into words other than it makes me very emotional,” Hudson said.
Hudson and her son, Ryan Hudson, were among six North Carolina residents who enjoyed this unique experience at the art museum, which was the first in the state to offer year-round EnChroma colorblind glasses that visitors could borrow during their visit.
“I think it’s really cool,” said Ryan Hudson. “It’s more vibrant and you can see colors easier.”
Hudson said he couldn’t see the orange and yellow jerseys very well when he played football at his high school in Durham, but when he put the glasses on, he recognized the colors immediately.
“I always knew there was a limit to what we could see,” his mother said. “So now I’m excited to do more. And I think more museums should do exactly what the Ackland Art Museum is doing and just make things more accessible to people.”
Sherill Roland looked at his art in a new way, discovering the hues and shades of what looked like giant Sudoku puzzles in the museum.
“Everything changes,” Roland said. “The blue background next to the white wall… the colors are a little more vibrant in their contrasts.”
Roland said he hoped to pass on what he had learned to his daughter, whom he affectionately called “Color Guru.”
“I’m very ROYGBIV and she’s everything in between,” Roland said. “She knows Periwinkle … so it’s going to be really interesting now to try to move forward and catch up with her a little bit and learn to enjoy her the way she does,” Roland said.
ROYBGIV is an acronym for the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
Visitors with color blindness can reserve up to four pairs of EnChroma glasses online. An “over-glasses frame” is also available for those who already have prescription lenses.
“We hope more people will become aware of this resource,” said Learning Resource Coordinator Lillian Rodriguez.
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