LOUISVILLE, KY / AGILITYPR.NEWS / March 19, 2024 / American Printing House for the Blind (APH) is 10^th on Fast Company’s prestigious list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024.

This year’s list shines a spotlight on businesses that are shaping industry and culture through their innovations. These organizations are setting new standards and achieving remarkable milestones in all sectors of the economy. Alongside the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies, Fast Company recognizes 606 organizations across 58 sectors and regions.

“It is a great honor to be featured on Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. APH’s products and services exemplify our mission of creating accessible learning experiences through educational, workplace, and independent living products and services for people who are blind and low vision,” said Craig Meador, Ed. D., APH President. “To continue creating innovative products and services, we are always looking toward the future, to discover and develop new technology and create innovative products that will level the educational playing field.”

One groundbreaking tool APH is launching in the fall is the Monarch. The Monarch is a refreshable, multiline braille, and tactile graphics device, that, for the first time, can deliver braille and tactile graphics in real time on one device. About the size of a gaming laptop, the Monarch has the capability to connect to a visual display for collaboration with sighted teachers and peers. Students can often wait months to receive braille textbooks and graphics.

To power the braille used on the Monarch, a new braille format was created. The eBRF file format will support braille literacy and education by making it faster than ever before to put braille into the hands of students. By building on existing technical specifications, a more robust braille format will allow students to interact with braille and integrated digital graphics on multiline braille displays for the first time. The new file format will also make sharing braille between countries much easier than in the past, expanding the amount of content available in braille.

The World's Most Innovative Companies stands as Fast Company's hallmark franchise and one of its most anticipated editorial efforts of the year.

Fast Company's editors and writers identified the companies driving progress around the world and across industries, evaluating thousands of submissions through a competitive application process. The result is a globe-spanning guide to innovation today, from early-stage startups to some of the most valuable companies in the world. Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies package is available online, as well as in-app form via iTunes, and on newsstands beginning March 26. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

“Our list of the Most Innovative Companies is both a comprehensive look at the innovation economy and a snapshot of the business trends that defined the year,” said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan. “We saw extraordinary innovation across the board in 2023, but we also saw a handful of clear patterns: the growing footprint and impact of AI, the triumphant return of live events, and great leaps forward in climate tech. We face daunting challenges on many fronts, but the solutions we celebrate in MIC give me plenty of hope about the future.”

Fast Company will host the Most Innovative Companies Summit and Gala on May 16. The summit features a morning and afternoon of inspiring content, followed by a creative black-tie gala including networking, a seated dinner, and an honoree presentation. This event celebrates the Most Innovative Companies honorees and provides an inside look at cutting-edge business trends and what it takes to innovate in 2024.

About American Printing House for the Blind  

American Printing House for the Blind is a worldwide leader in designing innovative lifelong learning solutions for children and adults who are blind or low vision. In this fast-changing world, we believe in the power and necessity of learning to open the doors to educational success, satisfying employment, social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal well-being. We level the learning playing field by providing specialized technology, materials, products, and services that are essential for education and life. American Printing House for the Blind is headquartered at 1839 Frankfort Avenue in Louisville, Kentucky. For more information, please visit www.aph.org. 

About Fast Company

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with our sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com.