Flight Deck (Questions?)

My monarch is frozen. I was showing students space science items from the TGIL and it vibrated and then died. Pressing the power button yields a long vibration as if it will start, but it does not. Holding the power button for 30 seconds to do a hard reset did not work. At time of death, it had 78% charge.

Just a general comment…My students grades 1st-10th often accidently hit a key when reading and then have to navigate back to where they were originally working at. They thought it would be nice if the keys were at the top. My 10th grader has a connective tissue disorder so it’s very uncomfortable for her to keep her hands raised while reading and avoiding hitting keys. I thought I remember something about that the device will eventually be able to be used with keys at top or bottom, am I remembering correctly?

I don’t know the answer to this, but my student has a similar issue. He has muscle tone issues and tends to let his wrists sag. I created a temporary fix by having my son (who is a metal fabricator) cut out a piece of metal to cover the keys while my student is reading. It is not a perfect solution, but it does cut down on frustration for him.

My Monarch is making a low beep tone when I try to turn it on. I have done the power key for 30 seconds and it doesn’t change. The light is red with the low tone, and the green light flickers.
Any suggestions?

I know it’s not really funny in the end, but I love your “time of death” statement.

It will not turn on.

A different solution is at hand.

Here’s an activity I’m trying to work through…
Diagram of Onion cell for microscope lab

  1. Located and copied image from Google Images; in original rendering as a pdf, the tactual diagram wasn’t well defined
  2. Used Word tools to simplify lines in onion cell diagram
  3. Deleted original image from background to keep image simple
  4. Viewed in Tactile Viewer- the simplified view was much more user friendly!

Plan to try have my student check out the diagram after spring break

This would be most useful with braille labels for nucleus, outline of cells, etc. I researched Firebird on aph.org website; did not appear to be compatible with Mac OS; was not able to download to work laptop.

Will follow up with IU IT

Questions:

  1. Is anyone else creating image files with Mac OS and Firebird? Did Firebird download easily for you?

  2. Will Firebird or Tactile View or other software be available on final production model of Monarch to add braille labels to diagrams? Or is it already there and I’m missing it?

  3. Do I remember correctly that a browser will be added to final production model?

Thanks Hive members!!

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I also have a 1st grader who keeps bumping the keys while trying to read. Her para and I have covered the keyboard to avoid bumping keys and I have been putting the document in read mode and toggling it on and off as needed.

I am working on creating a tactile graphic, and I would like to add braille. I’m adding the braille by editing the pdf in Adobe. I originally added simbraille in a 40 point font, and it displayed on the monarch (in the zoom in display), but was too large. I’ve tried smaller sizes, but the font doesn’t show at all in the smaller sizes. Has anyone had luck with a specific font or font size?

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What do you use to cover the keys?

I hope to dive into this matter in the near future. I hope APH and other partners will develop clear instructions and best practices for designing/authoring tactile graphics so that when zoomed in, students experience a high level of raised line detail and also correctly sized braille. Specifically, what sizes/resolutions of picture/PDF files are needed to accomplish this, and what are ideal workflows with software like Word, Firebird, etc.?

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My para and I used a clipboard to cover the keys but it was too difficult to keep the clipboard in place. We found it is easier to use the read mode instead of covering the keys. However, would like to try covering the keys if somebody has found a way to make it work.

I used 18 pt Braille font and it worked well on my Monarch. I believe 20 would also work. This works only in the zoomed display. I don’t believe it is possible to have it work in the unzoomed size in addition to the Zoomed size.

Can you please send me the name of the braille font you used?

I used Microsoft Word and the font was just called Braille.

What you are suggesting is in the works. In future updates there should be much more accuracy. In the graphing.

I used to make graphics with Microsoft word for our Tiger embosser. I have a struggling braille reader and I always wish Braille readers would have a picture with simple text. Well I used my old skills and made a simple graphic with a simple sentence about an eclipse. I used Simbraille font size 24 in Microsoft word and it seemed the right size when you zoomed on the graphic. I will be trying it with my student this week. This will be a lesson that I will describe more in depth.

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Then save the Word document as a PDF.

I have a student who appears to have very sticky or clammy fingers and his fingers do not glide well over the film. Is it possible to dust his fingers with baby powder or something else to help his fingers glide? Also I know the film is for protection so could I remove it while he used it; is that also possible at least for a little. Any suggestions would be helpful I feel this is a great tool but the film is definitely impeding him.