Welcome to the Monarch RISE Project Tech Training on the APH Hive!
Monarch RISE Phase 1 Participants - you had a chance to meet us during Virtual Orientation - now it’s our chance to meet you! Please use this thread to introduce yourself and begin connecting with one another. Please include:
- Name
- Professional Role
- Location
- A brief description of the clients or students you serve OR the job that you have
- What are you excited to learn this summer?
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Disclaimer: 100% of the total costs of APH’s DIF-F project will be financed by the $10 million grant. No percentage of the total costs of the project will be financed by non-governmental sources.
The contents of this post and updates to the corresponding Mastering the Monarch HIVE Course were developed under grant #H421F240052 from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this document. The contents of this post and updates to the corresponding Mastering the Monarch HIVE Course may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of thispost** and updates to the corresponding Mastering the Monarch HIVE Course does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department. This publication is not intended to represent the views or policy of or be an endorsement of any views expressed or materials provided by any Federal agency.
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Hello, my name is William James. I go by Wil.
I am the assistive technology consultant for North Carolina Services for the Blind. I live in Charlotte and have been here for almost 11 years.
I work with clients setting them up with equipment they need for school, work, or for daily living. The clients we serve range from 14 to 140. Just kidding on that last one. haha!
I hope to learn about the Monarch and the different ways to consume information in a form I haven’t seen in years, and that is via a braille textbook. I’ve used braille displays over the last 30 years and enjoyed them. However, I am looking forward to having instant access to images such as maps, weather maps, building layouts, and all sorts of images found on the internet. I am also looking forward to seeing braille on this device from iOS,
Windows, and other operating systems. Hey, maybe I’ll even pick up some advanced math, you know, that math that hurts your brain.
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My name is Kim Shoffner.
I am the Manager of Programs for IFB Solutions.
I am from and still live in North Carolina.
I teach the ECC (Expanded Core Curriculum) to students grades K through 12 in a training facility called Tracy’s Little Red Schoolhouse. I also teach adults JAWS, Braille, and independent living skills.
My hope is to incorporate the Monarch into multiple areas of instruction to add a more thorough understanding of information for people of all ages who are blind and low vision.
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I’m Matthew Janusauskas and I serve as Chief Technology & Programs Officer at the American Foundation for the blind. I’m looking forward to learning how the Monarch can expand possibilities related to multiline braille and tactile graphics. Also to exploring computer code and dense data tables and spreadsheets.
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Hi, my name is Jana Jackson, and I am just so honored to be a part of this groundbreaking project! I wear many professional hats, and I can’t wait to see how I will fit the Monarch into all of them! 
One of the things that drew me to this project is my work as a travel advisor, also known as a travel agent. I own a travel agency, and I’ve always wanted to have access to Braille maps. They are so cumbersome that I haven’t had regular access to them until now. The Monarch will definitely make this possible!
As a voice actor and singer/songwriter, I have always wished that I had access to a multiline Braille display, and I’ve been praying for a device like the Monarch to come along for years! I believe that it will be a huge help in my studio work, possibly even allowing me to retire my faithful Versapoint Duo Braille embosser, which skips dots on the back pages, making me have to memorize parts of a script when I’m recording! LOL!
My travel agency serves clients of all ages and all walks of life. Of course I have a heart for creating trips with built-in accommodations for guests with disabilities… I can put together anything, but I am especially drawn to faith-based and music-related trips. It’s probably a good time to mention that I live in Nashville, Tennessee… Music City USA! LOL! Can’t wait to meet all of you!
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Greetings, winged wonders!
My name is Paul Sandoval, and I am the proud owner and founder of Blind Tech Training. I call Lakewood home, where I live with my wife, Shawn, our two teenage children, and my retired guide dog, Yonkers.
At Blind Tech Training, we are dedicated to empowering blind individuals across Colorado and surrounding areas through assistive technology. From screen readers and magnification tools to refreshable braille technology, we support users of all ages—our youngest client is just five years old, while our oldest is 99!
As a mostly lifelong braille reader, I understand the profound impact it has on literacy and independence. I believe the Monarch has the potential to be a groundbreaking tool that will transform how the blind community interacts with graphical information—from maps and charts to tactile representations of screen layouts.
I am excited to get started!
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I’m Jason White, perhaps best described at the moment as an independent researcher, and living in Princeton, NJ. I am engaged in a small amount of voluntary work as Co-Facilitator of the Research Questions Task Force - part of the World Wide Web Consortium’s Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group. In this role, I contribute to discussion and publications related to the accessibility of emerging Web technologies, such as augmented/virtual reality and generative AI. I am also taking steps to find further career opportunities, not only in technology accessibility, but also related to broader issues of social justice, especially in writing scholarship, academic teaching, consulting, or helping to influence standards and policies internationally.
The Monarch is an impressive achievement of engineering and interaction design. I look forward to learning how it can be used efficiently to perform tasks that would be needed by a graduate student, scholar or accessible technology specialist, and to discovering where the gaps and shortcomings lie. Findings can then be shared and discussed as part of this project as I learn. The forthcoming screen reader support is of particular interest.
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Hi @William_James - great to have you in RISE! If you figure out that advanced math, let me know - all math makes my head hurt.
Hi @Kim_Shoffner - glad to have you in RISE! I just drove the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina over the holiday weekend. Very windy, but I loved the mountain air!
Hi @Matthew_Janusauskas - excited to have you in RISE! I’m looking forward to learning from tech experts like you what capacities the Monarch should have for data and code!
Hi @Jana_Jackson - grateful to have you in RISE! I saw the Swell Season at the Ryman last year. It was an amazing show.
Hi @Paul_Sandoval - What a cool organization! So excited to see how you and your clients soar with the Monarch!
Hey @Jason_White - We’re kindred spirits when it comes to deep thinking, but I already know you run laps around me when it comes to technology! Glad to have ya in RISE!
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Hi William. Welcome. I look forward to working working with you.
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Hi, my name is Jewel Ardoin. I work at the Louisiana Center for the Blind in Ruston, Louisiana as an Assistive Technology Instructor. I teach students over the age of 18 preparing to go to school or work. All of our students use Learning Shades and learn techniques to be a confident and independent blind person. I am excited to learn about the Monarch and how it can benefit my students live a productive life and have fun while learning.
Thanks, and have a great experience!! 
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Welcome @Jewel_Ardoin! I’ve never been to Louisiana but had the oppotunity to meet with Congresswoman Letlow a while back and show her the map of the Louisiana Parishes on the Monarch. You’ll have to check it out in the Tactile Graphics Image Library when you have the Monarch in hand! 
And welcome to you, @Manuel_Aregullin !!! Feel free to introduce yourself in the thread!!!
That sounds awesome, and I cannot wait to try it out!!
I also just got my shipping confirmation for my Monarch to be delivered on Monday June 2. 
I am so very excited and appreciative for this opportunity!! 
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Hello, My Name is Brenda Stevens and I am a TVI in Western North Carolina. Does being included in this chat mean that my student is going to be able to work with the Monarch? I am so excited! My student is going into the 7th grade and loves learning braille. She had somewhat of a late start because of her location and the lack of TVI’s in the area. I want to learn everything.
Hi, My name is Manuel Aregullin, but many people call me Manny. Either one is fine. I live and work in Tucson Arizona. I am an IT professional working as an assistive technology specialist at the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind. I m responsible for trouble shooting and resolving issues for anything that talks for makes braille, as well as serving as a 2nd tier for our techs. I also teach assistive technology for Advocacy and Resource Center for Independence. I look forward to being able to support our teachers who currently have Monarchs with greater skill. In my teaching job, I work with participants from 18 to 90 years old. I hope to show some of those students the real benefit of reading braille. Since some of my participants have lost vision as adults, learning to read braille is a hard sell. But it has made a difference for me and I want to give that back. I only work with technology. I do not have certifications in teaching braille, o&M, or daily living skills, but I am very passionate about those areas and hope to be able to use the Monarch to show the people I work with how braille can enhance experiences in those areas. I am very excited to meet you all and continue working with you.
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@Manuel_Aregullin - So very glad to have you as a part of Monarch RISE Manny! Excited to have you share your IT experience and perspective as we move throughout the project!
Hi Everyone,
My name is Jessica and I’m so excited to be here and meet and get to know you all more.
I’m based in NY and work as a mental health therapist. My practice specifically focuses on chronic pain and chronic illness, which is a really nice way to bring in my own lived experience of disability.
With the Monarch, I’m most excited to have better access to more graphic heavy and complex worksheets to better help my client’s understand ideas and concepts around mental health that are better represented through visuals.
Looking forward to learning more about everyone else.
Thanks,
Jessica
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Welcome @Jessica_Karim ! What an interesting application of the Monarch - I cannot wait to hear more about your journey thorugout the RISE Project!
My name is Derek. I’m a facilitator at the Village Free School in Portland, Oregon, a school that supports self-directed education in a caring community for students aged 5-18. It’s a very different way of doing school than what I, and likely most of you, grew up with, although I credit some of my most positive experiences as a blind student with awakening my interest in alternative models of education. That said, none of my students or fellow staff is blind. In fact, I’m the only blind person that I know about in a school like ours, though that doesn’t mean that there aren’t others out there.
I’m lucky in that I get to bring a lot of my personal interests to work with me. I’m an avid choral singer, and I have had the chance to help my students engage in choral performances. I am also a lover of languages, and I have reasonable conversational ability in Spanish, French, and Irish Gaelic. I have offered occasional tutoring to students interested in language learning, and also gotten to engage in conversation about language and linguistics more generally. But a lot of what I do looks like accompanying students as they go down their own path. I spend a lot of my days with a small group of teens who are curious about a variety of topics from science and math to mythology and literature, who are engaged in pursuits including creative writing, art, and game design. I’m excited to bring the monarch to work to see what creative ideas it might provoke in my students.
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@Derek_Czajka - You’ll have to check out all the languages functionality once your Monarch is in hand and let us know what you think! I sang competition choir all growing up - currently hoping I can snag some tickets to an Eric Whitacre performance with our local orchestrata and chamber choir! 