Answer this?

Question

How do you describe a colour to a blind person? I really want to know

Answer 1

It's a feeling. When you are in love the color red comes to mind...when you are enjoying the sun's warmth the color yellow comes to mind. When you are cold, the color blue comes to your mind. Perhaps that is the easiest way. Good question!

Answer 2

There was a movie made in the 80's called mask - Cher and Eric Stoltz are in it, where the title character explains colors to a blind girl. Rent it, it is a good movie, plus it might give you some ideas.

You might just try a few things however, that I can think of...not that I know anything about being blind.

Start by trying to explain the 4 primary colors only. If you can get them a mental picture of those, then you have won more than half the battle. All other colors are mixtures of those 4 primary colors. Hand them items to illustrate what you are trying to talk about. Also, like someone else said on here, there are generally emotions tied to colors. Red for love and anger, things that are hot, blue for loyality, and things that are cold, white for purity, Green for envy and greed.

Black is what you see when you close your eyes. I guess, I do not know, that black is what a blind person 'sees' all the time. Explain that black is simply the absorbtion of all colors, then ask them to imagine the complete opposite of that...white. Maybe you might try to explain how it is that we see colors - a material absorbs some light, and reflects other light, producing colors - although light is clear.

What they imagine may not be exactally what you and I see, but once you start going, the might get somewhat of a understanding of color.

Answer 3

Oh that's a tough one.

Do you know any other blind person? Maybe they could explain the colours...

You won't be able to explain the colours because if a blind person has any opinion on colours, his experience of them is very different to yours. They might feel the difference in the temperature of two objects of the same colour, or they might associate something of a certain colour (say, the ocean) with how it sounds, smells, feels...

And it also depends if that person is blind since birth or not...

Answer 4

That's actually an excellent question, If the person has been blind all their life, I too would be really interested to know, I am adding this question to my watch list, I may learn something.
If the person has lost their sight suddenly then I guess you would describe things like colours of grass, sky, fruit etc.

Answer 5

I work for a blind man and he said watching the film "iris" (or rather, listening to it) was the best indication he's ever had of what colour is. I think like the first person said, they decribe it like emotions. might be worth renting the film of you're really intersted. I doubt someone who's been blind for life can ever truly understand what colour is but maybe it's enough for them to have their own understanding of what it is

Answer 6

why not contact the RNIB for this information as people with partial sight are described as blind,they would give you all the relevant info you want,not having been blind,i can only close my eyes and imagine colours.

Answer 7

It depends on whether they've been blind since birth or not. If they have had no experience of colour then its very hard, but you could equate other properties, ie, icy cold=pale blue, warm=oranges and yellows, hot=red etc. But as they've nothing to compare it to its not going to mean much to them.

Answer 8

It depends. Have they been blind all their life, or have they just gotten it? If they have gotten it from a disease, then you can probably manage it with the color name.

If not, like another answerer answered, you could probably use a thing liike the ocean, blood, etc.

Answer 9

i have no idea.
how do u explain colour when its possible the person has never seen it before..... u could explain colour if the person had been sighted at some point.
hmmmm colours= feelings maybe

Answer 10

my grandmother was blind. she could FEEL color.
i loved going shopping with her because she could blend colors like no one else i know. she could feel the fabric and know the difference in shade (like a deep pink, soft pink, bright pink, and magenta - she could literally feel the difference). she didn't know exactly what color they were, but she knew her fingers sensed 'excitement' with more vibrant colors and more 'subdued' with a natural neutral color.

we had a game when i was little. she would have me close my eyes and she would have me feel something (cotton ball or ice cube) and i would tell her the color, or she would have me smell something and i would tell her the color. it was fun for me and i also got to 'see' thru her eyes.

i asked her one time how she could know when she got it all when she wiped. i don't think that woman ever laughed so hard in all her life! ("wipe 'till you don't feel any 'squish' " is what she told me)