EnChroma Color Blind Glasses Enhance The Swan Island Dahlia Experience

Imagine a world where vibrant colors are muted and familiar hues seem to blend together. For those with color blindness, this is a daily reality. But this September Mt. Hood Territory and Swan Island Dahlias are teaming up to take a significant step to enhance the experience of these individuals by introducing EnChroma color blind glasses at the annual Swan Island Dahlia Festival in Canby.

Throughout September, which also coincides with International Color Blindness Awareness Month, visitors to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival will have the opportunity to temporarily borrow one of six pairs of EnChroma outdoor color blind glasses, free of charge. This collaboration aims to enhance the experience of viewing nearly 40 acres of more than 370 varieties of stunning dahlias for individuals with color blindness.

These specialized glasses are designed to enhance color perception for individuals with red-green color blindness. By filtering light and adjusting color wavelengths, they can help people with color vision deficiency see colors more accurately. 

Color blindness affects one in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (.5%); 13 million in the US, 30 million in Europe and 350 million people 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. Common color confusions include green and yellow, gray and pink, purple and blue, and red can appear brown.

This initiative is part of Mt. Hood Territory's ongoing commitment to accessible tourism. In addition to the EnChroma glasses, the region also features a color-blind-adapted scenic viewfinder at the Jonsrud Viewpoint in Sandy, offering stunning views of Mt. Hood.

The Swan Island Dahlia Festival runs Wednesday-Sunday (including Labor Day) from 9:00am to 5:30pm throughout August and September and offers free admission and parking. Visitors can enjoy food carts, live music on the weekends and classes, all while exploring the largest dahlia farm in the United States. The festival draws 40,000-50,000 visitors each year. The festival takes place at Swan Island Dahlias at 995 NW 22nd Avenue in Canby, Oregon