Express Activity 2: Tactile Viewer

Expanded Core Curriculum Mastering the Monarch
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Hi Casey! I am so glad to know that you are also part of the group! I found myself nodding as I read your post. It is essential that all students have ongoing, meaningful experiences with a variety of tactile graphics, beginning as young as possible! Lack of access to tactile graphics for some (if not many) of our K-12 and college students is a huge concern to me.

I really like how APH used an orange frame to illustrate how you are looking at part of a graphic. It seemed very concrete to me, and I look forward to trying a similar strategy with a hard copy tactile graphic first before moving to a tactile graphic on the Monarch with a student!

I decided to explore an art graphic, specifically the balloons. I used the panning in and out buttons on each side of the Monarch to zoom in/out. I also enjoyed rotating the balloons by 90 degrees! I think it will take more practice, but I think I am off to a good start!

I am still grappling that all of the pins are the same height. For example, when graphing systems of inequalities, how will we know the solution (where the shaded areas overlap)? I would be very interested if anyone has ideas to share.

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I could not stick with just one graphic. First, I tried a castle which was fun to zoom in on. Then I found R2D2 and C3PO, which led me to Darth Vader and the Death Star. I also spent a lot of time exploring a watermelon slice, and later I checked out categories like math, independent living, and science.

Zooming in was helpful, though at first the images felt either too small or zoomed in too much. After rereading the instructions, I found that zooming out, placing my finger where I wanted to focus, and then double pressing the action button worked best. That made it easier to get into the details I wanted to study.

For employment and CIE settings, I see big potential. As a COMS, I really liked the four-way stop and roundabout intersections once I zoomed in. These would be useful in preparing individuals for travel to and from work. For adults in fields where data is presented in pie charts or bar graphs, the Viewer could be a strong tool for accessible data representation.

One challenge I noticed was finding an easier way to zoom in halfway, since it felt a little clunky. I would address this by practicing and teaching a consistent method for zooming, while pairing tactile exploration with the visual display when possible.

Compared to embossed tactile graphics, the digital Viewer is a major advantage. It allows access to a wide range of graphics instantly without needing multiple embossed versions, and being able to adjust detail and zoom makes it more flexible in different settings.

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Paul, I can relate to what you said about picking up details but struggling with the bigger picture. I found zooming helpful once I figured out the best way to use it, but it still takes practice to hold the whole image in mind. I like that you tried graphics you were already familiar with, like sports fields and the moon, since that background knowledge really helps connect the pieces. I agree that some structured training makes a big difference, and I think the Monarch gives us a great platform to build those skills while keeping it enjoyable.

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Kim, I like how you approached the butterfly life cycle by breaking it into sections. I had a similar experience where zooming in and out helped me make sense of the details. I agree this will be a powerful way for students to engage with science concepts hands-on, and I share your concern about very detailed graphics. Teaching strategies for chunking information will be key.

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Discussion Prompt

  1. The first tactile graphic that I explored was a decorated christmas tree. At first it was not very detailed, so I had to zoom in. As I zoomed in I saw the ornaments and star in detail. I was able to use the zoom in zoom out buttons. I was also able to move right and left, and even up, and down. which helped give me more of an idea of the size and view.

  2. I think that it will be beneficial in item identification and orientation and mobility assistance.

  3. Navigation and getting lost. More practice.

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Discussion Prompt

  1. Describe the tactile graphic you explored. What features did you use to examine the image?

A monarch butterfly. I thought it was very fitting considering the Monarch Rise. This was also an important tactile graphic to me because I have a huge butterfly bush outside of my house that has had tons of monarch butterflies in it this year. I used the tactile graphic to show my students the beauty of the monarchs that I have been seeing every day.

  1. How did adjusting the level of detail impact your understanding? Did zooming in or out reveal anything surprising?

  2. How do you envision using tactile graphics to support students or clients in CIE settings? Consider workplace applications, accessible data representation, and digital literacy.

I can see my students using the Monarch Rise in place of their other adaptive technology devices except preferred screen reader software with paired computers/tablets. The Monarch Rise will totally wipe out the Draftsman Drawing Board, Tactile Graphics kit, and most refreshable braille devices. I see this as a good thing so my students and I do not have to carry so much stuff. I have been carrying material to various classrooms that I work in since 2010 and it has physically taken a toll on me. My students that have graduated, could definitely use the Monarch Rise in their roles a paralegal, office assistant, lawyer, dietician, and more.

  1. What challenges do you anticipate when teaching students or clients to use the Tactile Viewer? How might you address these challenges?

I think changing them from their usual adaptive technology might not be easy for some of my students, but I do not think it will pose too much of a challenge since accessible technology is thankfully always evolving. I plan to address this challenge by training my students on the Monarch Rise with extra reinforcement from other Adaptive Technology Specialists services that they are already getting-some daily and some weekly.

Optional Extension

If you have used embossed tactile graphics before, how does the digital Tactile Viewer experience compare? Which method do you think would be most effective in different settings?

I really like the more pronounced dots on the Monarch Rise compared to tractor feed paper with braille tactile images and the toasty soft lines of the ZyChem Machine.

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Hi Kristen,

I don’t know why, but Science was my first subject I thought of too! Monarch butterflies were my first few images I used. That turned into me exploring the tactile details of animals. I also visited the Tactile Graphics Image Library and loaded images of the water cycle, plant cells, and animal cells. It was a “rabbit hole” for sure, but certainly a fun one!

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Hi Garrett,

I could not stick to one graphic either! It was too fun to explore how the images were being presented on the Monarch. My experience with tactile images is with ones I have created manually with the Draftsman Board, Tactile Graphics kit, Tactile View w/embosser, and ZyChem machine. Exploring images on a new, fancy electronic device was so fun.

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I explored a variety of tactile graphics. I specifically had a student (now my braille teacher assistant) who is congenitally blind. She went to a football game years ago and only heard the announcer say 40-yard line, 20-yard line or goal post but no one described the field to her (neither did she ask!). Her first experience was to feel the football field with the Monarch. (This was eye-opening to her! LOL!). She also requested a mountain range and the Churchhill Downs track. I have also explored flowers, the piano and elevator panel. I had the elevator panel added by APH staff last year by request. I used the point and click, the zoom buttons and the D-pad and scroll bars to examine the graphics I explored. I preferred the zoom in rather than the image that first appeared. I wish there were more levels for the zooming in so that it could be more gradual in size. The original image (zoom out image) can be too small in some cases. In most cases a student needs good spatial skills to grasp the image as a whole. To assist with this I would go back to the original image frequently. Also, I would start out with familiar geometric shapes. In CIE settings, I would use the TGIL for O&M purposes on a new job. Particularly, a tactile graphic of a layout of a building can be helpful on a new job. In a Business Enterprise job a layout of the cash register could be helpful. I also assisted a co-worker fulfill an assignment for graduate school make a tactile graphic of an animal cell. Anyone who needs a visual image rather than a verbal description or in addition to a verbal description can benefit from a tactile graphic.

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Hi Miriam!

If you use a JPG or PNG file with the Tactile Viewer, you can get many levels of Zoom. These types of files don’t support braille, so PDF files are better for graphics with braille labels, but JPG and PNG are a great option for unlabeled pictures.

Jenny

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Exploring the Tactile Graphic on the Braille Monarch

When I explored the tactile graphic on the Braille Monarch, I relied on both my hands to trace the raised lines and textures. The crisp refreshable dots made it easy to follow paths and compare shapes side by side. I used my fingertips to anchor in one section while scanning another, which helped me keep orientation. The “layers” of textures—smooth for background, denser dots for borders, and patterns for key features—made it easier to distinguish important information.

Adjusting Detail and Zoom

Changing the level of detail shifted my understanding in a big way. At first, the full detail felt overwhelming, but zooming out let me see the big picture. When I zoomed in again, I noticed smaller features that I had completely missed before. That back-and-forth made me realize how valuable it is for students to be able to control what they focus on, almost like adjusting a magnifier. It surprised me how much more confident I felt once I learned to switch levels intentionally instead of trying to absorb everything at once.

Applications in CIE Settings

I can see the Monarch being a strong support in competitive integrated employment (CIE) environments:

  • Workplace Tasks: Employees could use it for reading floor plans, machine schematics, or workflow charts.

  • Accessible Data Representation: Braille graphs and charts for sales data, safety statistics, or shift schedules could be explored quickly on the Monarch.

  • Digital Literacy: Because it combines braille and tactile graphics on the same device, the Monarch bridges text and image, which is critical for navigating digital workplaces that rely on both.

Anticipated Challenges & Solutions

Teaching students or clients to use the Tactile Viewer on the Monarch will come with challenges:

  • Navigation overload: At first, the multiple commands and zoom options may feel intimidating. I’d scaffold training with short, simple graphics before moving to complex ones.

  • Maintaining orientation: Students may lose track of where they are in a graphic. I’d model strategies like always returning to a “home” point on the display.

  • Different learning speeds: Some students will need repeated practice to feel confident. I’d build in routine practice opportunities and reinforce successes to build comfort with the tool.

Extension – Embossed vs. Monarch

Having used embossed tactile graphics, I notice that the Monarch adds flexibility and immediacy. Embossed graphics are reliable and don’t change, which can be useful for testing situations. But the Monarch allows for on-the-fly adjustments—zoom, detail, and even switching between text and graphics in one device. In a workplace or digital literacy setting, I think the Monarch is far more effective because it integrates information seamlessly. In classrooms, though, embossed graphics may still play a role when consistency and permanence are needed.

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Exploring the Tactile Graphic

When I explored the tactile graphic on the Braille Monarch, I used both of my hands to trace the raised lines and textures. I noticed that keeping one hand anchored in place while I explored with the other helped me stay oriented. I could feel how different line thicknesses and textures represented different features, and I found myself going back over the same area a few times until I was confident in what I was “seeing” with my fingers.

Impact of Detail and Zoom

I realized that adjusting the level of detail made a big difference in how I understood the graphic. At first, I felt a little overwhelmed when everything was shown at once. When I zoomed out, I could finally get a clear sense of the big picture. Then, when I zoomed in again, I was surprised by how many small details I had missed before. I felt more confident once I learned to switch between zoom levels instead of trying to take it all in at once.

Using Tactile Graphics in CIE Settings

I can picture myself using tactile graphics in many ways to support students and clients in competitive integrated employment (CIE). I see tactile graphics as a way to make workplace charts, schedules, or safety maps more accessible. I imagine them being very useful for representing data, like sales numbers or performance graphs, in a format that clients can independently explore. I also think about how the Monarch combines braille text and graphics in one device—I see that as a big step forward for supporting digital literacy and helping people work more confidently in technology-rich environments.

Anticipated Challenges & Solutions

I know that some challenges will come up when teaching students or clients to use the Tactile Viewer. I expect that the number of commands and zoom options could feel overwhelming at first. I would start with very simple graphics and build up gradually to help with confidence. I also know that keeping track of orientation can be tricky, so I would encourage strategies like always returning to a “home base” on the display when they get lost. I expect that people will learn at different speeds, so I would plan for extra practice time and celebrate small successes to keep motivation high.

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The tactile graphic I explored was the color wheel. When I opened it, I could not even detect what I was feeling. I zoomed in and started panning and it started to make more sense. I felt the whole picture, panning the display to the left and right, up and down and feeling the picture. Then I zoomed out to feel it at its normal size to feel and check if I could recognize it. After studying it, I was able to understand this graphic. Reading this graphic did not come easily to me and I believe it might be a challenge for me to teach tactile graphics when I am still trying to understand this concept and teaching it to myself. However, I thrive at teaching new assistive technology to individuals and feel that this challenge will be the same. I am so excited to learn more about tactile literacy and believe that this will allow for deafblind individuals to understand their space. The ability to zoom in and pan around the display for more detail is amazing. I don’t love having to physically explore my space while at work because I feel self-conscious. To have information at your fingertips to help you orient yourself is so exciting. I could go on and on about how useful understanding tactile graphics is but right now, I am really loving how I had the time and privacy to gain understanding on what I was looking at. I am bias and really love the Monarch for viewing all tactile graphics because while I do love hard copy Braille, it can be limiting when you need to see more detail.

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The tactile graphic I explored was a butterfly. I used the zoom in and zoom out buttons to adjust the level of detail, and I practiced panning with the directional arrows to move across different parts of the graphic. I found the scroll bars very helpful for keeping my orientation and letting me know where I was within the image. Adjusting the level of detail helped me notice information I might have missed if I had only looked at the overview. Zooming in allowed me to feel smaller labels and finer details in the graphic, while zooming out helped me understand how all the parts connected in the full picture. I was surprised by how seamless the zooming feature felt and how easy it was to move between detail and overview without losing my place.

I envision tactile graphics being a powerful tool for my transition students, both in school and in building independence overall. For example, tactile graphics can make science and math more accessible by allowing students to explore charts, diagrams, and graphs in a digital way. They can also support practical skills, such as reading maps of a school campus, understanding bus or transportation routes, or following a class schedule. Beyond academics, tactile graphics can reinforce life skills like interpreting menus, floor plans, or community layouts. By practicing with tactile graphics on the Monarch, students also build digital literacy skills, which are critical for future jobs, college, and daily life. These experiences can help students feel more confident and independent as they prepare for life during and after high school.

One challenge I anticipate is that students may feel overwhelmed when navigating larger graphics, especially if they are more familiar with paper graphics where the entire image can be felt at once, or if they have limited experience with tactile graphics. Another challenge may be staying oriented while zooming and panning through complex diagrams. To address this, I would start with very simple graphics, such as basic shapes, before introducing more detailed images. Frequent practice with zooming, panning, and orientation strategies will also help build confidence and reduce frustration.

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I explored the Boron atomic structure diagram, and the floor plan. I used position shortcuts and detail adjustment and detail default reset. Adjusting the level of detail did make a difference in the atomic structure diagram, as the electron level circles are not complete at the default level, so adding detail revealed connected rings. This made the electrons on the rings more subtle understandably, but it was tough to locate them as the shape was already not uniform, but that is this specific graphic.

I like that changing the level of detail preserves braille text separately (as well as rotation, cool that braille text can be rotated!) I wonder if chemistry heavy diagrams could incorporate more of the chemical braille code in the graphics. (existing notation for atomic parts or bonds)

I really like the position shortcuts and how they are arranged around the braille cell dots.

It is difficult not to touch the display while doing multiple panning movements to check where you are. I wonder if there could be a modifier key to pan by a larger chunk of lines for quickly moving to another area across the page. (similar to paint type editing programs let you add ctrl as a modifier when panning or changing brush size to jump by a larger amount)

(challenges): For students or anyone new to digital graphics it would be important to emphasize panning (finding the title or any text information at the top center is different than literary panning because you have to pan yourself to make sure you found the left and right ends of the lines). Also, checking the level of detail adjustment to discover any important differences.

Workplace applications: Using floor plans to help with orientation in a new workplace. Digital literacy and access to spreadsheets, or new training material if graphics are involved.

While panning speed and digital literacy are disadvantages and arguments for paper tactile graphics, digital graphics strengths would include being able to zoom and invert signal, or if there is ever a way to edit and make changes where you would be editing and reviewing multiple times. Referring to multiple documents at once would be easier with paper, if there is only one graphic a student needs to review while listening to a teacher, or have homework or other written material as a hard copy, or vice versa, edit homework on the Monarch and paper diagrams.

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I went to the NFB of North Carolina State Convention this past weekend. Friday night at the vendor hall I sat at the Humnware table with Joe Steinkamp. I had my “first” Monarch with me. I was at Carolina Beach. An 11 year old came by. He wanted me to show him a tactile graphic of a shark. I came up with the Great White Shark. After all I was at the beach! Out of the blue, Joe mentioned to me about the Wing It app. He said I can write a signature in the Wing It app and it will appear as a tactile graphic on my Monarch. I had not mentioned anything to him that signatures were my central topic for my Lesson Plan in the RISE project. Wow, I was so excited!

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Thanks!

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I found the Tactile Image Library to be easy to access following the instructions in the Tech Training module. Having a collection of preloaded graphics available at startup means users new to the Monarch – like me - can jump directly into hands-on exploration without needing to create or import files first. I began by experimenting with maps – since that is what I am most familiar with using in the school environment – although I am used to using the big raised line paper maps or thermo-form maps available with through APH.

When I first opened the map of the U.S., I started broadly, using the default view to get a sense of the overall shape, then intentionally zoomed in to explore the finer details using the ‘touch to select’ option. I then practiced scrolling back and forth and zooming in and out on certain states. I think the ability to have that flexibility back-and-forth between overview and detail will be one of the key features of the Monarch since it allows learners to build a mental map step by step ‘on the fly’, rather than having to switch between various paper based maps.

Students and adults used to having to refer to multiple paper based images will now be able to access multiple tactile images using just a few keystrokes. As an educator, I think this convenience and accessibility is going to really get my students invested in this device. I do anticipate some challenges in teaching clients to use the Tactile Viewer effectively, especially in helping them develop strategies for moving between detail levels without losing track of the “big picture.” To address this, I would scaffold the introduction of the TIL in a structured way—starting with simple graphics that highlight key functions, then gradually moving to more complex images that mirror workplace and school scenarios. In this way, learners can build confidence while developing transferable skills for employment and independent living.

So although tracking across the image and understanding the way the multiple lines of cells refresh may take some practice initially – I think the enthusiasm for having more information available in a dynamically accessible format will self-motivate a user to develop these skills faster than they would using other formats.

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For my first experience using the Tactile Viewer, I chose graphics I was already familiar with to make the process easier. I selected a map of Guatemala and the Mona Lisa image.

Starting with the map of Guatemala, its simple outline made it easier to identify, even at a smaller size. Using the magnification feature allowed me to explore different areas of the map in more detail. However, when I used the shortcut to display the lower part of the map, the Monarch device showed nothing. I assume this was due to the presence of large blank areas outside the graphic.

Exploring the Mona Lisa was a different experience. This graphic had more detail, and while I was able to recognize some facial features, not all were easily distinguishable. Magnifying the image helped to some extent, but I didn’t notice a significant difference between increasing or decreasing the level of detail. The inverted Braille mode was particularly interesting—although it didn’t help much with the Mona Lisa, it worked better with the map of Guatemala. I found that inverted Braille may be more effective for exploring maps.

Navigating the graphics using the D-pad was not very efficient. It was slow and required pauses for the tactile display to catch up. I believe the D-pad would be more productive if it allowed movement by full screen sections. For example, if a graphic spans six full screens horizontally, pressing the left or right directional buttons could move between those segments. Similarly, the up and down buttons could be used to navigate through vertical sections. This approach would make the exploration faster and more intuitive.

I have used embossed tactile graphics before, and each method—hard copy, and digital—has its pros and cons. Hard copies, once created, provide immediate access without the need for multiple steps, offering a direct tactile experience. However, they are limited in detail and size. In contrast, digital graphics allow for zooming in to explore finer details and can provide immediate access without having to wait for a physical copy. This is a major advantage in time-sensitive situations.

That said, context matters. For example, if I were learning to navigate a local area using a map created by an Orientation and Mobility (O&M) specialist, I would prefer a hard copy. It offers a more immediate and stable reference point for that specific use case.

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While I will not be using tactile graphics in my day-to-day work I am excited that there is a small library available on the device so that Wi-Fi may not always be necessary. That is not something I’m allowed to use in my workplace so I appreciate the built-in images. The zoom feature is definitely great for viewing small sections of the graphic. I liked the butterfly graphics that were available in the library.Anything animal related to something I find interesting and there are some very detailed graphics. I have been using braille long enough to remember using images on thermoform paper and then through a tactile printer so this portable version is a great advancement!