Colorblindness accommodations

[quark]

Have any of you with colorblind kids requested accommodations and if so, what kind of accommodations? How do I start looking into this?

 

Kiddo's isn't severe but he has been confusing reds and greens all this while. And it is also enough to throw him when similar colors (like light yellow and light green) are used close together. E.g. a pedigree chart like this one (in his Thinkwell bio lecture), using close shades of yellow and green instead of red and blue, really confused him this morning. He is okay with the shapes. I had him look at the biology textbook (Campbell Reece) and he was okay with the charts there either due to different colors used, or similar colors but with more space between them. However, some graphs/ charts in the textbook with similar colors or overlapping colors were problematic.

 

There is a possibility that he might audit or enroll in a community college science class in the fall or next spring.

 

Advice and detailed suggestions are much appreciated!

[Crimson Wife]

Hmm, I've never heard of anyone getting accommodations for that. My dad, both my brothers, and DH are all colorblind and they all managed to do well in high school and college in spite of it.

 

I would imagine the first step to trying to get accommodations would be to document the visual disability with a note from an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Then I'd contact the college's office of disability services or whatever it's called at the particular school.

[Dmmetler]

Another thought-has he tried a colored filter (or, if they still make them, a piece of colored overhead transparency film)? Sometimes, that provides enough of a contrast to make the shades more distinct. Maybe even a pair of slightly tinted glasses for visuals in class if that helps. I know for the classes DD has audited, charts tend to be in color on the slides or in the book, but if they're on a test, they're in shades of grey or different patterns, so. I'd think that if he can make it work for the actual course, that would be fine.

[quark]

I am not looking to make life unfairly easy for him as that might be an assumption when someone asks about accommodations. I am asking because he has been ignored/ put in a spot by a teacher before this over his need to be extremely clear/ accurate about instructions and he finds that very frustrating and troubling and is sensitive to those types of comments. It's not about wanting to see him get high marks in everything. He also forgets that people cannot read his mind so I can totally see him forgetting to preface questions with an explanatory statement like "I am colorblind, could you please tell me what colors are used in this chart/ question etc". The choice of colors in that Thinkwell exercise that frustrated him was baffling because just one lecture or two before it, the presenter was explaining color-blindedness.

 

Thank you both for your answers. And dmmetler, I will definitely look into the color filter. Great idea!

 

 

[regentrude]

I know that colleges are required to accommodate disabilities, but can only do so if a formal evaluation has been presented. The college has an office dealing with students with disabilities, and that is where I would inquire in which form the evaluation has to be done.

I never had a color blind student, but students with other visual impairments; accommodations were large print, and handouts on yellow paper instead of white. The student would be working with the office to determine what kind of classroom accommodations are needed.

If a student approaches me and explains his diagnosis (the notice form disability services does not have details), I am sometimes able to come up with other things I could do to help.

But the place to ask would be the college. A formal evaluation and diagnosis will be required.

[quark]

If a student approaches me and explains his diagnosis (the notice form disability services does not have details), I am sometimes able to come up with other things I could do to help.

 

But the place to ask would be the college. A formal evaluation and diagnosis will be required.

 

Thank you! I will approach the doc who tested kiddo last year and also speak to the cc if we go ahead with enrollment.

[Gwen in VA]

He will certainly need an official evaluation, but there are accommodations for colorblindness.

 

I have a good friend who is a chemistry prof, and we were discussing accommodations one day. She mentioned that there are all kinds, and described some accommodations she has had to make for colorblindness. Not knowing anything about colorblindness, I asked why a kid would need accommodations in CHEMISTRY for colorblindness, and she mentioned titrations, which are dependent on color changes. She also mentioned difficulties reading the texbook.

 

Yes, accommodations for color-blindness can be made, and yes, if colorblindness is an issue you should pursue the accommodations!

[Vida Winter]

Get a doctor's note to have on hand if needed. DD decided to not make a big deal out of it and would only say something about it if absolutely necessary. Bio lab can get a little tricky but no big problems yet. Having lab partners can be helpful.

[quark]

Thank you Gwen in VA and Vida Winter. Yes, my worry was for chemistry and bio. DS is intrigued that your DD has it Vida Winter. :) When we confirmed his color-blindness last year, he was super excited to be "different" in a way from others, but bummed that it was only truly rare in girls. :) Thanks again!

[Barbara H]

Typically the process for accommodations for physical stuff like this for college is fairly easy to get taken care of - not the hassle that we think of with a learning disability in a K-12 environment. If it helps here's the steps.

1. Talk to the disability office about what documentation they want - probably just a letter from the doctor that indicates the disability and suggests what will be required. Usually for physical stuff they don't need a lot of particular tests just the letter.

2. Get the letter from the doctor. Most ophthalmologist's offices will be experienced writing these letters and they should be able to do it very easily. We went through this for a different visual problem and it was literally a 30 second conversation.

3. Turn in the letter and meet with the disability office and they will decide what is allowed in terms of accommodations. And here's the hard part....

4. It will be your son's responsibility to talk to each one of his professors in classes where he thinks this will be a concern. Schools have different procedures but typically there is a letter from the disability office the student can give to the professor.  So, he will have to advocate for what he needs, but I would be genuinely surprised if any professor gives him a hard time about it or makes it difficult. College is typically so much better than high school.

[regentrude]

 And here's the hard part....

4. It will be your son's responsibility to talk to each one of his professors in classes where he thinks this will be a concern. Schools have different procedures but typically there is a letter from the disability office the student can give to the professor.  So, he will have to advocate for what he needs, but I would be genuinely surprised if any professor gives him a hard time about it or makes it difficult. College is typically so much better than high school.

 

Just to comment on this:

The student will have the letter that spells out the accommodation, but will not have information about the condition that makes the accommodation necessary. The student is not required to disclose his diagnosis or have any further discussion with the professor; he is entitled to whatever accommodations are on the letter without having to explain himself.

However, I would highly recommend that your son does talk to each instructor and explain that he is color blind, since the instructor has no other way to find out. This will make it much easier for the instructors to understand what is needed.

Your son should also not hesitate to point out whenever he feels something is a problem, even with the accommodations. Grasping what the exact difficulties are for the student is very hard for somebody who is not affected, so the more he can communicate, the more help he will receive.

 

 

[quark]

This is very helpful Barbara H and regentrude. Thank you so much!

[JenneinCA]

My cousin is slightly colorblind. She was an adult in the army when it was discovered. She was having problems sorting resistors and placing them into their proper spots. So I can see this being a problem in a class like physics too.

 

Ultimately she was switched to something else because there was no accomaditon that would work for this problem. I don't know what that was, though.

 

I hope your son finds a way to make it work.

[Crimson Wife]

My DH actually had a girl in one of his Electrical Engineering lab classes who was visually impaired. She was extremely gifted when it came to designing circuits but she needed to have a special computer software program to help her because she couldn't read the markings on the resistors. DH was in total awe of her because she was able to design these elaborate circuits totally in her head- it was like Beethoven composing amazing symphonies while deaf. I don't know whatever happened to her but she was so brilliant an engineer that I'm sure she is successful in some sort of technical career.

[Nan in Mass]

I think my youngest mentioned accommodations for colour-blindness in one of his engineering classes.  We're used to this because my bil is colour-blind.

 

Quark, I know my bil's mother has talked about teaching her children to advocate for themselves.  For instance, she told them to look at the crayons or markers and ask to have them labeled if they didn't come with the colour written on them.  If your son has only recently found this out, then it is probably going to be something you have to work on with him.  I know if it were my sons, just telling them this would not be sufficient.  I would have to role-play and talk about situations where it might be a problem and work out set phrases they were willing to use, like "I'm sorry to be a bother, but I'm colour-blind and I'm having trouble reading this chart.  Could you label which colours are which for me?"  If you talk about what sorts of things can be done to help him (like writing the colour names next to the confusing ones or taking a pencil and adding stripes or dots to parts of a diagram), then when he asks for help, he can be more specific.  If he is more specific, it will take less time and energy away from the person he is asking to help him and they will probably be more willing to help.  I would have to explain this to my children.  Sigh.  My bil had glasses as a child which helped him to distinguish the colours.  He said the three-D glasses sold with three-D comic books (which just have one red lens and one clear or blue lens) also worked.

 

And just for fun - my bil made beautiful quilts and now does beautiful pottery.  So much of what makes art work or not work depends on the contrast between the values (lightness or darkness), and he is especially good at getting that part right because he isn't distracted by the actual colour.

 

Nan

[quark]

Thank you Nan! He has been practicing on his friends and we are definitely going to run through more scenarios together. That is really awesome that your BiL makes such beautiful things. And interesting about CW's DH's EE student too. We don't know anyone else who is color blind. Or anyone who knows that they are color blind. It probably comes from my side of the family but my dad has never mentioned having it.

 

Great suggestions. Thanks again to everyone.

[sunnyday]

Thank you Nan! He has been practicing on his friends and we are definitely going to run through more scenarios together. That is really awesome that your BiL makes such beautiful things. And interesting about CW's DH's EE student too. We don't know anyone else who is color blind. Or anyone who knows that they are color blind. It probably comes from my side of the family but my dad has never mentioned having it.

 

Great suggestions. Thanks again to everyone.

 

It definitely comes from your side of the family, but it could have been your mother who was a carrier.

 

I don't think my husband ever asked for official college-level ADA-type accommodations in the course of obtaining his Biochemistry degree, but he may have asked for a little understanding or assistance from his profs. In graduate school he did struggle a bit with Histology but achieved a passing grade. He also has had me check his outfit on St. Patrick's day for the past 16 years. ;)

[quark]

It definitely comes from your side of the family, but it could have been your mother who was a carrier.

 

I need a crash course in genetics. :P Thank you for reminding me.