New Outlook for
Colorblindness
by Melinda Beck
“New
Outlook on Colorblindness” discusses both what people who are colorblind
experience on a day-to-day basis and how the world has (and in some cases, has
not) changed to adapt for those who are colorblind. Nowadays, there are Apps from the iPhone,
tinted glasses and contact lenses, and even special video games adapted for
colorblind people. Approximately 32
million Americans are colorblind, mostly males.
The recessive colorblind gene is carried on the X chromosome, and
although it typically shows up in males (because they have only one X
chromosome, so if their mother is a carrier, the defective gene shows itself
readily) it can show up in a female when her mother is a carrier and her father
is colorblind. Some people do not
realize they are colorblind, and the degree to which people are colorblind can
vary. Additionally, the type of
colorblindness can vary, with Red-green colorblindness being more common than
blue-yellow colorblindness.
The
article discussed the need for better testing for children when they are
younger that will prevent them from being identified as “learning-disabled” by
using shape-based diagnosis as opposed to number-based diagnosis. Also, the article mentioned that there are
some things, such as the lights on a battery charger that have yet to be
adapted for colorblind people. Society
needs to be informed of these challenges as those who are not colorblind might
not realize the challenges those who are colorblind face. This article is particularly relevant to our
Biology class from a genetic standpoint as I found the explanation of how
colorblindness is passed from generation to generation to be very helpful.
The
idea that most colorblind people live in a “black-and-white TV show” is a
common misperception and I think that this article was effective in that it
demonstrated that in a clear and informative manner. In particular, the interactive graphics (see
top of page), video, and images along the side were very interesting. I would have been interested in reading more
about the potential cure for colorblindness that was briefly mentioned,
including how soon it could be used in human patients, however overall I was
very satisfied with this article.
Elizabeth’s review of “New Outlook for Colorblindess” was thoughtful and well-written, in that its summary was effective, its critique unique, and her choice of topic very relevant to what we are learning in class. Each sentence of Elizabeth’s summary was well thought out and packed with information in a way that was easy to read and understand. I especially liked how she highlighted the genetic connections to the disease, because, like the rest of the article, it was very pertinent to what we are learning now. As one of our most recent textbook chapter readings was on genetic traits and how genetic diseases are passed down from family member to family member, it was nice to see that Elizabeth picked a topic that was exactly on track and supplemented our nightly homework assignments. Finally, the critique was unique, because it brought up a point that many would have overlooked – that the article should have discussed, in more details, the potential cure for colorblindness and its use for humans. It was something that I did not notice, but found I agreed with once I had read it.
ReplyDeleteThe review could have been made even better if it had referenced the problems of colorblind people in more detail and explained how the images connected with the article worked. While Elizabeth did mention the everyday difficulties of life for colorblind people, she could have used at least a sentence more on specifically how companies are trying to make their programs and jobs more accessible to them. This was an important part of the article that was not touched upon very thoroughly in the review. Also, the images related to the article were very important, as they were tests for colorblindness, and it would have been interesting to see Elizabeth explain how they worked.
One thing that really impressed me about this article was that there are so many apps available for use by colorblind people. It is something that I never really thought about, nor researched, so I am glad to learn that help is out there for those who need it. It really proves the saying, “There’s an app for that!”
Elizabeth’s review of “New Outlook on Colorblindness” was very well written. In her review, she included a lot of information about the challenges that colorblind people face. She does a great job explaining how changes are being made in our society to accommodate colorblind people and maybe even a possible cure. She also clearly explained the changes that have not yet been made that should occur in order to give colorblind people a better, easier life. She explains that some things, such as the lights on a battery charger that have yet to be adapted for colorblind people. She also explains her point of view about the article well, showing how it cleared up some of the general misconceptions that people have about colorblindness. Additionally, Elizabeth did well on summarizing the article and avoiding clutter and too much detail. Her review encompassed the entire article yet she presented the information in a much more concise manner.
ReplyDeleteAlthough these were several positive components to her review, there were a few things that I thought were missing from her article review. I think she could have tried to make her summary a bit more in depth. Though she did hit all of the key points in the article, I felt as if she was missing some of the information about specific changes being made in society to accommodate colorblindness. I also think that she could have included a MLA style bibliography to show us the author and publication date.
I learned a lot from reading Elizabeth’s review, and found it very interesting. I was surprised to learn that there are so many changes and amends being made in society, because not many people discuss this. I would like to find out more about the apps, how they work, and if people actually use them.