The SENDcast Supporting Colour Blindness with Marie Difolco
Did you know that 300 million people worldwide live with colour blindness, including 3 million in the UK and around 450,000 of those are children? Unfortunately, many of these children are being let down by the education system, as colour blindness often goes unrecognised - meaning there's likely one child in every classroom facing this challenge.
In our latest podcast episode, Dale is joined by Marie Difolco, a passionate advocate and mother to a severely colour blind child. Together, they discuss 'Supporting Colour Blindness' and the need for accessible use of colour in education. When colour is not presented accessibly, it can create barriers to learning, understanding, safety, and overall achievement. Marie emphasises the importance of supporting colour blind individuals in both educational and professional environments, highlighting that these children often miss out on fully accessing their education.
"The one thing I'd like people to take away from this podcast - never ever use colour alone to convey information. Always use a secondary label, a number, a symbol."
Marie Difolco
Listen to understand colour blindness, learn the truth behind common misconceptions, the impact it has and practical strategies to support colour blind individuals.
About Marie Difolco
Marie Difolco works as an Operations Manager for an Engineering consultancy and voluntarily for the Colour Blind Awareness organisation. She is a driver behind the #1InEveryClassroom campaign. Marie is mother to a severely colour blind boy whose condition went undetected for longer than necessary. She delivers workshops and speaks publicly to raise awareness.
Moderator on 3 Facebook Groups about Colour Blindness:
- Colour Blind Chat Group (U.K.)
- Supporting the Colour Blind Child (U.K.)
- Blindness / Color Vision Deficiency Awareness (U.S.A.)
Marie provides training and workshops for both the education and businesses sectors on Supporting Colour Blindness and The importance of Accessible Colour. Please contact her for further details via LinkedIn or her Author Facebook page.
NEW BOOK PUBLISHED
Marie has just released a new book 'Supporting Colour Blindness, in Education and Beyond'. This essential guide explores Colour Blindness, an often-unrecognised special educational need and disability (SEND). It gives you the tools and confidence to ensure children with Colour Blindness can reach their full potential. It helps you to understand what the condition is so you can easily make your teaching accessible and inclusive to all Colour Blind children, undiagnosed or not.
Contact Marie
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564994171346
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-difolco-96208a138/
Useful Links
Marie's book 'Supporting Colour Blindness, Education and Beyond
Colour Blind Facebook Chat Group
Supporting the Colour Blind Child
Colour Blind Awareness animation
- B Squared Website – www.bsquared.co.uk
- Meeting with Dale to find out about B Squared - https://calendly.com/b-squared-team/overview-of-b-squared-sendcast
- Email Dale – dale@bsquared.co.uk
- Subscribe to the SENDcast - https://www.thesendcast.com/subscribe
We have been involved with Special Educational Needs for over 25 years, helping show the small steps of progress pupils with SEND make. B Squared has worked with thousands of schools, we understand the challenges professionals working in SEND face. We wanted a way to support these hardworking professionals - which is why we launched The SENDcast! Click the button below to find out more about how B Squared can help improve assessment for pupils with SEND in your school.