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• 1 2017-11-19T17:03:37-08:00 The Social Implications of Being Colorblind 14 image_header 2017-12-06T06:32:55-08:00 The vast majority of us experience the world in color. Our languages, our foods, our shelters, our clothes, our presence on the Internet – you would be hard-pressed to find a single facet of our culture that is not directly influenced by our attention to and adoration of [the ironically mysterious thing we call] color. Year after year, major technological companies come up with products such as computers and smartphones that enhance the way we see color in photographs, videos, and various media. But more importantly, color allows us to see the details in the world around us and distinguish between the hundred of thousands of objects that we see in our everyday lives. In layman's terms, color is extremely important. However, ever since humans evolved the ability to see the full color spectrum over 30 million years ago, the ability to see colors has been taken for granted (Emory Health Sciences, 2014). No doubt this ability has been taken for granted with good reason. After all, every human born today should be able to see in color. It is a birth right.
  
  However, as with anything, it is only when we lose what we have that we realize the worth of what we are missing. Such is the realization that is made after reading "The Case of the Colorblind Painter" by Oliver Sacks. Mr. I, the main character, who is suffering with cerebral achromatopsia, a rare form of colorblindness caused by trauma, illustrates simply how challenging life can be without any notion of color. While Mr. I struggles to learn to cope with a colorless life, he faces the hurdle of having to learn to practice his hobby of painting without utilizing any colors other than simply black and grey. In time, Mr. I realizes that he still has posses the ability to create masterpieces regardless of the colors they possess. Mr. I learns that although the loss of color will drastically change the way he has to approach life, by no means does his life have to be suppressed by his colorblindness.
  
  Mr. I's particular case illustrates how being colorblind does not necessarily have to be a burden in an individual's life. It is almost certain that individuals with colorblindness, especially those with cerebral achromatopsia, will have issues adjusting to life with reduced or no color. Socially, being colorblind is often looked down upon as a disability. The common belief is that those living with colorblindness will not have the same quality of life as those with normal vision and require a large amount of assistance to go through everyday life. Nonetheless, while those with colorblindness need to learn to work with a more achromatic world, it is more than possible to live a high quality life.
  
  Rohit Balaji, Michael Amadio.