-
.
- Ελληνικά
He will face similar problems in a car park, where coloured lines direct drivers to different zones, or in a hospital, where lanes of different colours lead to different clinics by specialty. Even on a beach it is very difficult for a person who does not perceive colours to understand whether the flag put up by the lifeguard is green so they can swim safely, yellow so they know they will encounter dangerous waters or red so they shouldn't even enter the water.
The above problems are currently faced by 350 million people around the world who suffer from colour blindness, a condition that occurs in different degrees at any one time. One in 12 men and one in two hundred women have colour blindness, while 90% of information in the environment uses colour and 90% of people with the condition need help buying clothes.
Codicolour translates colours into shapes
For all this population worldwide, a codicolour, unique in the world, was developed in Portugal that can "translate" colours into shapes, giving the viewer the information of colour. For example, the ColorADD code alphabet, created by Miguel Neiva, has established the sign of a triangle turned upwards to express the colour red, the sign of a triangle turned downwards to express blue and a diagonal line for yellow. From the combinations of these three basic colours all the others are obtained, therefore the above shapes, if combined two by two, can describe the other colours.
"This system helps specific people to be functionally integrated in a reality where colour is translated into information," explains the director of the Laboratory of Adapted Sports at the School of Physical Education and Sports Science at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (EKPA), Dimitra Koutsouki. She stresses that ColorADD users react to it with enthusiasm, while she particularly raises the issue of the use of the codicil in the tourism sector. "Tourism is the largest source of income in our country. The tourism industry is bigger than all other industries," he stresses.
ColorADD in all Thessaloniki Tourism Organization's publications
In this context, the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization has adopted and implemented the ColorADD code alphabet for about a year now, in an effort to serve all visitors to the city in the best possible way.
"Thessaloniki is the first city to adopt this code and will immediately apply it to all forms of the Tourism Organization. All its advertisements will include the ColorADD," Voula Patoulidou, the deputy mayor of Thessaloniki, explained to APE-MPA. She speaks of a quality and specialized service and notes: "even if there are only ten residents of the city and its visitors with color blindness, for us and these ten are very important and we wish to facilitate them."
Besides, Koutsouki points out that "the Organization has ensured that anyone with color blindness can download an application on their mobile phone and through it they can perceive things in their color." The whole action of the Organization is done in cooperation with the University of Athens and the Color add Sistema de identificao de cores para daltonicos of Portugal.
The code alphabet can also be applied to the beaches of Halkidiki
For his part, Michalis Lolidis, strategic partner of ColorADD worldwide, points out to APE-MPA that last year ColorADD was applied for the first time to the lifeguard flags at Myrtos beach in Kefalonia and announces that ColorADD can provide free of charge to coastal municipalities - for example the municipalities of Halkidiki - the four coloured lifeguard flags with integrated signs of the codicil for each beach.
It also clarifies that such actions are part of social interest uses and states that the scope of applications is huge. By way of example, he states that the Holy Metropolis of Nea Krini and Kalamaria is the first religious organisation in the world to apply the code in its educational work and camps. At the same time, in the same Metropolis, the code has also been incorporated into printed Byzantine music books where colored symbols are used along with the ColorADD marks.
"The code can also be applied in parking lots, stadiums, gyms and sports grounds, clinics, hospitals, museums and iconic archaeological sites such as Vergina, Pella, the White Tower, Philippi, etc.Lolidis adds.
Ms Koutsouki also raises the issue of the abolition of exclusions, saying that through such actions the access of all citizens to all forms of social life is facilitated.
Source: APE-MPA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
