How to Describe Colors to the Blind

People with good eyesight will know what colors look like, but for people with visual impairments, how would you describe colors? When it comes to this subject, sometimes people with good eyesight still perceive colors differently so this subjectivity can be very difficult. However, some colors are associated with smells, tastes, sounds, or sensations. Here are some tips to help you describe color to the visually impaired.

Table of Contents

Use other senses to describe colors

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Use touch to describe colors. Have the person hold an object while you describe the color. Using something that is almost always a certain color is easier to describe.

Have the person hold different pieces of wood, touch the bark, or touch the ground, and explain that these objects are brown.
- You might say, “Brown feels like soil or dead plant parts growing out of the soil above the ground.”
Have the person hold some leaves or blades of grass and say that they are green. Green feels like living parts of a plant because when plants are green, their leaves are alive. You can also have them hold dry leaves and explain the difference between green and brown.
- You might say: “The smoothness and softness of the leaves feels like green; Green feels like life. However, when the leaves are as brittle as these dry leaves, they have turned brown and are lifeless.”
Have them put their hands in a bowl of cold water and explain that the water is blue. Let them know that a small amount of water is light blue, almost transparent with no color and that much water like a river or ocean is dark blue.
- You might say, “How does it feel to be swimming in the water? The cool wet feeling that makes you relax is the feeling of blue.”
Explain heat such as fire or a candle or hot stove that is red. Red is often associated with heat or burns.
- Let the person know: “If you’ve ever had a sunburn, your skin will turn red. Or, if you feel embarrassed and blush, the heat on your cheeks is red.”
Explain that concrete, such as a wall or sidewalk, is gray. Metals are also gray – letting them know gray often feels hard and hot or cold depending on whether it’s sunny or not.
- You might say, “Gray is usually hard and solid. It feels as hard as the road under your feet or the wall you’re leaning against, but it’s not a living thing and doesn’t grow or feel.” ^{[1] X Research Source}

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Use smells and tastes to describe colors. Smell and taste can be completely related to some colors.

Explain that spicy foods and spicy foods are usually red in color. Other foods that are also red include strawberries, raspberries, and cherries. Tell them that these fruits have a very sweet taste that reminds them of red.
- You might say, “Just as you can taste red when you feel hot, you can also taste and recognize red when you eat something hot and spicy.”
Give the person an orange and explain that oranges are orange. Ask them to notice the smell and taste of the orange.
- You might say: “Oranges are often described as fresh, sweet, and tropical; The sun is orange and food that is orange needs a lot of sunlight to live.”
Do the same with lemons and bananas, explaining that lemons and bananas are yellow. Although they taste different, both varieties are yellow and yellow with a sour and aromatic taste or a sweet and nutritious taste.
- You might say, “Yellow foods need lots of sun, they’re bright and happy.”
Have the person hold some vegetables (such as lettuce and spinach) and explain that they are usually green. The green has a pure and crisp taste like terrestrial plants, sometimes even a bit bitter. Greens are usually not as sweet as fruit; it usually has a bitter taste or other odor.
- Have the person sniff some other herb like mint and say, “Green smells like that – fresh, clean, and healthy.”
For non-food odors in nature, reinterpret leaves and grass as green and water as blue. The smell at the beach is the blue of the water and the brown or white of the sand. Explain to them that flowers come in many colors and that often the same flower comes in many different colors but not green, brown, gray or black. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Think about how to use sounds to describe colors. Some sounds may be related to color.

Explain that sirens remind them of red because red is often used to draw attention to others; Fire truck lights, ambulance and police car scenes are also red.
- You might say, “When we hear a siren, we are usually on the lookout and get immediate attention because there could be danger. Red is like that – it’s urgent and grabs your attention.”
The sound of running water, especially the murmur of a stream or the sound of waves crashing, will make you think of the color blue.
- You might say: “The color blue creates a feeling of calm and comfort like the sound of water relaxes you.”
Sounds that remind you of green are rustling leaves or birdsong. You should make it clear that not all birds are green, but because birds live in trees, the sound of birdsong often reminds us of green.
- You might say, “When you hear leaves rustling and birds singing, it’s a sound that reminds you of the color green.”
Describe the sound of a storm like gray. When there is thunder and rain, the sky is usually gray making everything appear gray.
- You might say: “The storm is gray. The sound of thunder and rain means it’s gray outside, quite dark and sad because there’s no sunshine.” ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Describe the relationship between color and emotion. We often associate colors with some emotion or psychological condition, and much research has been done to find the connection between color and emotion. Explain to the person the most common colors:

Red – usually the color of anger, charm, physical strength or aggression
Orange – physical comfort, enough food, warmth, safety and sometimes frustration.
Yellow – friendliness, jubilation, optimism, confidence and sometimes fear
Green – balance, freshness, harmony, environmental awareness, peace
Blue – intelligence, coolness, peace, sincerity, reason
Purple – spiritual sense, mystery, luxury, truth; often associated with dreams
Black – sophistication and charm (positive) or heaviness, intimidation or oppression (negative)
White – clarity, clarity, purity, simplicity
Brown – rusticity, reliability, support
Gray – neutrality; lack of confidence or energy; disappointment
Pink – nurturing, warmth, femininity, love ^{[4] X Research Source}

Use numbers to describe colors

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Since the number is infinite, the number of colors is also infinite. Imagine that number one is red and number two is yellow, you can find more numbers between numbers one and two: “1.2, 1.21, 1.22, 1.3, 1.4, 1.45….”. Similar to color, there is an infinite amount of color between two colors so we have fading.

Find out the cause of the person’s impaired vision

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Determine the nature of their visual impairment. Most people with impaired vision can still see to some degree, even if it’s just light perception. According to the American Association of the Blind, only 18% of people with vision loss are classified as complete vision loss, while the majority can still distinguish between light and dark. ^{[5] X Trusted Source American Foundation for the Blind Go to Source}

The ability to distinguish light from darkness can help you explain to them black and white by saying black is darkness and white is the presence of light.

Steps

Use other senses to describe colors

Use numbers to describe colors

Find out the cause of the person’s impaired vision

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