True Story London Podcast 22 - Coming Out as Colour Blind w/Ezio de Mauro
Ezio's Childhood Colorblind Secret
- Ezio discovered his color blindness at six when classmates laughed at his color mistakes.
- He hid the condition for 30 years to avoid shame and stigma.
How Embracing Colorblindness Transformed My Life and Career
Ezio de Mauro kept his colorblindness secret for over 30 years, fearing it as a "disease" and a source of shame. Despite working as a web developer—a role heavily reliant on color—he coped by relying on creativity, deflection, and exact client instructions for color choices to avoid exposure.
The turning point came when learning his grandfather was also colorblind, giving him closure and acceptance that transformed his view of himself from "diseased" to embracing his uniqueness.
He encourages openly talking about differences and diversity with children to normalize uniqueness and reduce the stigma that held him back for decades.
Ezio also highlights how disclosing his condition at work led to greater empathy and efforts to create more accessible environments, benefiting everyone.
> "If you talk to kids about being different, maybe about being unique rather, talk to them about this at large. But do it like it's 2022. Don't do it like it's 1979 for fuck's sake, please."
Avoiding Colorblindness Reveal Game
- At age 12, Ezio avoided revealing he couldn't read Ishihara plates by diverting a quiz into a group singing activity.
- This creative strategy helped him hide his color blindness from cousins playing a color vision game.