ColorADD: A social responsible solution that enables colorblind to identify colors.: ColorADD is a universal graphic code whose mission is to enable the social integration of persons with colour vision deficiency.
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?
Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?
Team
Viarco, Indústria de Lápis, Lda
20
José
Vieira
Mr
Portugal
n/a
2010
, PO, Porto
More than 20 countries
New products & services: Entries in this category develop and offer essentials product and services that address needs currently unmet, Inclusive supply chains: Entries in this category implement efficient, sustainable and inclusive supply chains.
Gold Medal Award, 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by the Portuguese Government to Miguel Neiva.
One of main characteristics of ColorADD Code is its transversality. We want all the children have access to the code, a truly integration, not only through the Viarco pencils but also this inclusion take place through publishers, educational games, national tests, etc..
Only effective use of the code across different areas allows the full integration of persons with color vision deficiency.
ColorADD social business is focused in replicating worldwide its successful cluster implementations in Portugal and internationally but Education is a strategic activity of our mission and consequently we offer the code for schools and school libraries on a pro bono basis. We want to reach as many children as possible ensuring that they are using the right pencils and tools, allowing their integration without discrimination.
The Code became an integral part of Schools Communities, an unequivocally tool at the service of Teachers and Students, objectified in a protocol signed with the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science, establishing an social responsible example to the World! The referencing of the Portuguese National Exams with the ColorADD code, is justified by the need of a huge minority inclusion.
Partner: Viarco it’s a pencils factory with more than 100 years, the company was able to re-invent it self combining ancient machines and know how.
Type of partner: business
Short description sentence: Viarco it’s a pencils factory with more than 100 years, the company was able to re-invent it self combining ancient machines and know how.
Key motivation to participate in the co-creation project: The honour to participate in a project that will include naturally 350.000.000 colour-blind people in the World of the Color, through the universal language created by Miguel Neiva
Key contributions in the co-creation project: Social responsibility, innovation, value to the product and for the consumer, social integration, a perfect example of the company strategy that’s create add value products to the market based on new knowledge and creativity.
Other Strategic Partners in Education Area:
Publishers Partners: Plátano Editora ; Sebenta Editora (Leya Group).
The Social responsability, inovation, the economic and social add value. More than 220,000 pencils have been produced with ColorAdd code. Viarco is currently exporting to over 20 countries.
In terms of return on investment, just in terms of spreading in the major media. Viarco estimates a return between € 50,000 - € 100,000.
Businesses.
The ColorADD is a modern organization that practice social responsibility as a competitive advantage. The ColorADD objective is to achieve double bottom results, reach financial sustentability and creating social value through full integration of colorblind people, wherever color is a factor of communication, orientation or choice. ColorADD code can be implemented and used through a licence acquisition, licenses fees are adjusted to the partners’ corporate dimension, assuring an affordable cost for everyone.
The Code include without discrimination and the users and all the people with difficulty in identification the colors, don´t have to pay for the use of the code, this cost is supported by all the companies or organizations with social responsibility
There are many "Aha!" moments in this process. The first "Aha!" was the innovative idea of the ColorADD code, followed by academic accreditation and recognition by people with color vision deficiency.
This new color identification system was validated in several national and international congress and Initiatives, Ensuring the Accreditation and recognition of both academic and scientific communities, along with business and social organizations players, Within different areas.
ColorADD has been an issue of great public interest to, both in the media, internet and in society, reaching audiences on a global scale.
All barriers of the co-creation Viarco/ColorADD were quickly overtaken, Viarco is a competitive and innovative company and once they understood the concept and the added value for this pencils of being able to integrate thousands (hopefully one day millions) of children with color vision deficiency.
They have changed their pakaging including the learning of the ColorADD Code. All the residual investment that was made had economic return with the increased of sales and with the social integration of the children with color vision deficiency
In General the main barries of the project is the general lack of awareness of the problems faced by colorblind.
ColorADD code can be implemented and used through a license acquisition, licenses fees are adjusted to the partners corporate dimension, assuring an affordable cost for everyone. When we licence the Code we established a contractual relationship with our partners. Since we want that the code is for everyone we dont give any exclusivity to any company or organization.
Education is a strategic activity of our mission and consequently we offer the code for all schools and school libraries. In this case we have established partnerships with schools and universities on a pro bono basis,
With co-criation ColorADD/Viarco now Viarco is more aware of the need of the colorblind segment.
Before implementing the code the constraints of childres with color vision deficiency were completely unknown to them. Now we are work together to try to implement the code in specifically designed pencils for the use of blind and partially sighted people.
One of the main virtues of the project is to raise public awareness to the constraints experienced by colorblind. The Colourblindness it´s not a visible condition and is often hidden by colorblind. Here lies the main advantage of code, allows integration while keeps the privacy of colorblind.
ColorADD wins with the dissemination of the code made by Viarco, which will allow us to make new partnerships in different areas and in new countries, allowing to reach the maximum of persons with color vision deficiency.
Through Javier Olaguibel (Ashoka - Changemakers)