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Week of January 6, 2022
ADAMS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
Northglenn-ThorntonSentinel.com
VOLUME 58 | ISSUE 22
Ten stories we talked about in 2021 A look back at the headlines and controversies from the year STAFF REPORT
red and the green flowers, and also all the fall colors when traveling. The indoor contrast is different. It’s cool,” said Oakes. Anythink Library Wright Farms is hosting a program featuring the glasses this month, allowing colorblind members to borrow a pair and perhaps see color for the first time. They’ve also posted photos and art in the library, with two versions of each piece. One appears the way a normally-sighted person would see them. The other has been edited to show how a colorblind person would see them. “I was excited when I heard the library was offering the glasses so my wife got me these. When you’re confronted with something normal
We’re not done with COVID Colorado entered the New Year with different varieties of COVID vaccines making the rounds. It ended the year with different varieties of COVID itself making the rounds. After a year when COVID defined everything, from work to school to shopping to dining, Colorado was ready for a break from masks and social distancing. And overall, we got it, thanks to a few rounds of vaccines. Stores and customers welcomed customers back, shedding masks mandates until some nasty variations on the original COVID-19 virus began to show up and spread, spiking a new surge. While proving mostly effective, the vaccines were rationed early in the year. First up were health care workers and first responders who had been dealing with COVID patients. Next were seniors and those with compromised immune systems and finally, by spring, most adults were eligible, with vaccines for children approved in November. By the end of November, the state estimated that 73.7 percent of the state’s eligible population had received at least one dose, and 65.5 percent were fully vaccinated.
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SEE REVIEW, P4
Ryan Oakes wearing the indoor EnChroma glasses viewing the Anythink Wright Farms Library art exhibit for people with colorblindness to view and experience colors. PHOTO BY BELEN WARD
A little help seeing colors Anythink showcasing glasses that help colorblind see shades BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Ryan Oakes was born colorblind but it wasn’t until first grade when his mother discovered it. “My mom was watching me color the tree trunks green and the leaves brown. She said, let’s get you tested,” said Oakes. He’s in good company. One in 12 men and one in 200 women are colorblind totaling about 13 million in the United States, 30 million in Europe, and 350 million worldwide. EnChroma, a company that
manufactures glasses that let the colorblind see colors, surveyed approximately 1,000 colorblind people and parents of colorblind children shared experiences on how their colorblindness - technically called Color Vision Deficiency - has impacted their education. “The evidence is overwhelming that colorblindness creates learning challenges for color-blind students. Parents, educators, and politicians must become more aware of the prevalence of color vision deficiency its impact, and take action,” said Erik Ritchie, CEO of EnChroma. Oakes tried a pair of Enchroma glasses two years ago, it was an emotional change. “When driving along the road flowers would just blend,” he said. “With these glasses, I could see the
INSIDE: CALENDAR: PAGE 7 | VOICES: PAGE 8 | LIFE: PAGE 10 | SPORTS: PAGE 12
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International tastes are coming home P10