It was like someone had opened all the windows so the natural light illuminated everything...You’ll discover a world you haven’t seen before and see the collection in its true colours."
José - Harewood Member
Daltonismo: A Personal and Historical Connection
One of the first to try the glasses was José, a Harewood Member, whose first language is Spanish. He is a Mass Spectrometrist – a career that, like the work of 18th-century scientist John Dalton, revolves around analysing the elemental building blocks of matter.
In a beautiful twist of history, John Dalton was not only a pioneer of atomic theory but also colour blind himself. His name lives on in the Spanish word for colour blindness, Daltonismo.
Reflecting on the experience, José said:
“It was like someone had opened all the windows so the natural light illuminated everything. I appreciated the pictures so much more. The mirrors were definitely a surprise. I saw them completely anew!”
He continued: “My perception [of Harewood] has changed. It feels richer, and I’m aware there is so much more for me to see. I think it will make me stop and look more.”
When asked how he’d describe the experience to other colour-blind visitors, he shared:
“You’ll discover the real world you haven’t seen before. It opened my mind to see the collection in a way I’d never seen it before—in its true colours.”
Colour vision deficiency examples
Here are some examples of how people who are colour blind experience Harewood and the Collection.
How EnChroma Glasses Work
EnChroma’s patented lenses are engineered with special optical filters that enable colour blind people to see a broader range of colours more clearly, vibrantly and distinctly so they can experience colourful art, the beauty of nature, overcome everyday challenges and better understand and appreciate colours.
Importantly, EnChroma glasses are not a cure or correction for colour blindness, they work for approximately eight out of 10 people with red-green colour blindness, do not provide full colour vision and results and reaction times vary.
Ready to give them a try?
If you’re red-green colour blind, come and try EnChroma glasses for colour blindness and experience the vibrant colours of Austen & Turner: A Country House Encounter.
Hire EnChroma Glasses
Access Resources for the Exhibition
Within the exhibition you will also find a series of tactile resources, created by Sam Metz. These resources are designed to help you engage further with some of the objects on display. Chikodi Nwauwu has also written a series of audio descriptions relating to objects in the exhibition which have been recorded by Harewood House Trust team members.
Large print guides are available for this exhibition, and Harewood sensory backpacks are design to support and enhance the experience of our visitors who may experience sensory overload in the House.
These resources are part of our ongoing commitment to making Harewood welcoming and accessible to all.
Find out more
Explore access resources for Austen and Turner: A Country House Encounter, find out more about the support provided whilst you are at Harewood or book tickets for the exhibition.
Access Resources for Austen & Turner: A Country House Encounter
Access
