STATE NEWS — Is there anything more beautiful than the burnt orange, golden yellow, fiery crimson, and deep purple of the autumn leaves in Tennessee. It’s something most people look forward to each fall, but those suffering from color vision deficiency or color blindness can feel like they are missing out.

In 2017, the Tennessee Department of Tourism installed special viewfinders at 12 of its 56 state parks recently that allow people who are color blind to see all the fall colors. The viewfinders use special En-Chroma lenses, which alleviate the red-green color blindness. This special lens technology enables people with colorblindness to see a broader range of clear, vibrant colors. 

And there’s now another colorblind viewfinder located in Middle Tennessee. Tennessee Tourism installed their thirteenth at Radnor Lake State Park and Natural Area in Nashville. The ADA accessible viewfinder, made by SeeCoast Manufacturing, is equipped with spectral lens technology from EnChroma designed to help those with red-green color deficiency experience the brilliant fall colors. Radnor Lake State Park is located about 72 mile north of Lynchburg in the Nashville Area.

“Tennessee has some of the most beautiful fall colors in the world,” said Mark Ezell, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. “We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to experience the brilliant display, including more than 13 million colorblind Americans. It’s truly a tear-jerking experience to watch colorblind people see captivating colors in our state parks and attractions for the first time.”

The nearest one to Moore County is located at South Cumberland State Park in Monteagle. To find others, visit TN Tourism’s dedicated site by clicking here. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}