APH Monarch Officially Released

American Printing House for the Blind

Published Tue, Sep 17, 2024 12:12 EDT

LOUISVILLE, KY / AGILITYPR.NEWS / September 17, 2024 /

American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is thrilled to announce that the Monarch, a revolutionary multiline braille display, is officially available for sale.

“This has been a long time in the making, and a device educators and students have requested for decades. We are so proud to see the impact the Monarch has already made,” said Anne Lancaster, Vice President, Chief Officer, Innovation and Strategy. “The Monarch is truly a unique, assistive technology device that stands alone in the landscape of educational products. We are excited to watch students’ lives changed for the better and know this is only the beginning of an educational revolution.”

Refreshable braille devices are not new; however, the Monarch is truly one of a kind. Now students will have their braille textbooks and tactile graphics available together on one device. This was made possible due to the development of eBraille. This file type allows electronic files to be delivered wirelessly to the Monarch, reducing the time normally needed to emboss and braille a textbook. APH partnered with the DAISY Consortium for the development of eBraille.

Multiple applications are loaded on the Monarch, including HumanWare’s KeySoft Accessibility suite, that includes a Word processor supporting Math ML and .docx files; KeyMath, a partnership with Desmos, enables students to graph tactile functions on demand; and the Tactile Viewer, a tactile graphic viewing app which connects via Wi-Fi to APH’s free Tactile Graphics Image Library, allowing a student instant access to more than 2,000 tactile graphics, are also included.

The Word processor allows students to access documents that have proper formatting and headings, a first for many readers who are blind or low vision. Word also allows worksheets containing graphics. Students can receive a Word document with questions from a math teacher, open the corresponding PDF in the Monarch's tactile viewer application, examine the graphic, open the Word processor, and input their answer into the worksheet. Students no longer need to have a separate answer sheet alongside a hard copy braille test. Students complete the test on the Monarch, alongside their sighted peers.

The Monarch opens a two-way street for students and their educators. By connecting the Monarch to a monitor, teachers can see what a student is reading or viewing on the display. Being able to pair visual and tactile feedback in this way will redefine how students who are blind or low vision develop concepts and create mental images.

The Monarch was created in collaboration with our partners, HumanWare and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB).

Monarch Tech Info

10x32 cell lines with 3840 equidistant pins and touch capacity.

Weighing 4.5 lbs. and about the dimensions of a 15-inch gaming laptop.

WIFI; Bluetooth connectivity; USB C charging port; USB A port; Stereo speakers for text to speech and audio feedback; Internal Mic for voice input; Headphone jack; protective folio case; HDMI port for video out to display the device’s content on an external monitor; All day battery.

About APH and the Monarch

APH’s mission is to empower people who are blind or have low vision by providing accessible and innovative products, materials, and services for lifelong success.