Hi Pablo! We’re so glad you’re a part of Monarch RISE. Curious to learn how the Monarch might support music instruction - I played trombone and sang in competition chamber and jazz choirs all growing up so music is near and dear to my heart. There’s a Circle of Fifths Tactile Graphic in the TGIL, but it looks like it’s optimized for an embossable graphic versus on the Monarch, so I’ve made a note to flag for our team for creation of a Monarch-optimized graphic. (More on all that Tactle Graphics stuff coming in October for RISE Partiicpants!!!) 
My name is Miriam Dixon. I am the braille and braille technology teacher at the Career and Training Center in Raleigh, NC. I have been a braille teacher for 46 years. (That number is not a typo!) We were formerly the NC Rehabilitation Center for the Blind. I primarily teach adults who has recently lost vision in the ABLE program (Adapting to Blindness in a Learning Environment). During the month of July for four weeks we work with teenagers in the SAVVY program (Summer Adapting Vital to Blind and Visually Impaired Youth) part of the Pre-ETS section of the Division of Services for the Blind. I have had a year of experience with the Monarch but I am eager to learn more in depth additional skills on the Monarch in regards to adults. I am just amazed with this braille device.
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Hi, all!
So happy to be part of the Monarch community! I was added to the cohort later, so I’m just now getting on board.
I’ve been teaching elementary-school special education for the past nine years. I’m a Resource Specialist, which means I support students with various disabilities who have IEP’S. I’m excited to determine ways in which the Monarch can play a part in the work that I do, from helping students access math and other visual media, to enabling them to draw pictures with Wing It so I can experience their art firsthand. I’m a hardcore braille enthusiast who has used braille notetakers since 2001, so I’m thrilled to be able to have ten lines of braille at my disposal, both for reading and word-processing.
Some fun facts: I live in San Francisco with my partner, Martha, and our eight-and-a-half-year-old Rottweiler. When not reading or writing, I enjoy singing, Star Trek, and anything and everything rainbow. I’m very much looking forward to connecting with you all and sharing Monarch-hacks, tips, and tricks!
Hi @Tim_Elder - Love the enthusiasm! Beta programs for JAWS Monarch integration are coordinated by our friends at Vispero. While participation in Monarch programs offered by APH’s partners would be considered an appropriate use of the Monarch during the RISE project, it’s not something we coordinate or manage on our end. Hope that helps!
Hi @miriam.dixon - Glad to have you in our Monarch kaleidoscope and see you on the Hive! We’re keen to learn if use of the Monarch device impacts subgroups of project participants differently. Your expertise primarily teaching adults who have recently lost vision is a perspective that I am glad we’re bringing to the table! Looking forward to RISE-ing with you!
Hi @Caitlin_Hernandez - we’re so glad to have you as part of our RISE Rabble! As a lover of anything and everything rainbow, I’m curious - have you tried those rainbow bagels?!? They look delicious but I haven’t gotten my hands on one yet!
Hello. My name is Mary Stores, and I’m a Principle Accessibility Analyst at Indiana University. I live in Bloomington, Indiana with my two cats. Whiskers is a 14-year old tuxedo cat, and Elbow Noodle is a 4 year old black cat.
Most of the people I work with have lost their vision later in life and come to school. Over the past five or so years, I have worked less and less with people who have been blind all their lives and come to college after high school.
Although our office serves students, faculty and staff with disabilities, we actually work on the learning technologies side of things. Students receive services from the Assistive Technology and accessibility Centers (ATAC) after they have been referred by an office for disability services, Human Resources, or a department chair.
I’m going to skip to the relevant STEM and braille-related part now.
We provide accessible alternative copies of textbooks, train faculty and staff on creating accessible documents, and provide students training on how to use tools such as the learning management system or ePUB reader with their assistive technology.
A few years back, in 2018 or 2019 we had yet another student who was struggling to pass the one required math course. The instructor really worked to make the course accessible to everyone. They noticed that some math equations were not being announced correctly by screen readers. This student could not read braille due to physical limitations, so they had to rely on speech, and speech was failing them. The square root of four plus five was being read the same whether the square root ended at the four or covered the entire equation.
Even though I am certified in JAWS, I knew there was stuff IU didn’t know. Maybe if I asked other people, we’d learn something new about how to navigate math. So another colleague and I did that. My colleague figured out a pattern of ambiguously-read equasionsw and a number of people volunteered to share their math knowledge with us. After several hours of testing, we ended up submitting our first conference proposal to Accessing Higher Ground, and later to CSUN called: Your Screen Reader Got an F in Arithmetic.
We then collaborated with a reading and writing math for VI group through the Daisy Consortium. Neil Soiffer is also a part of the group, and my colleague and friend Brian and I have learned a lot from him. The group has continued to expand to include lots of STEM-enthusiastic people who have worked to make STEM accessible.
Brian and I were so excited one year later to dispose of the F in Arithmetic conference presentation and create a presentation that talked about forward motion, progress, and future gaps.
And then Monarch Rise came along. It’s such an exciting thing for me.
I have always failed or come close to failing math myself. I have inferiority complex every day, especially as I continue training with the Monarch. However, I am looking forward to collaborating and learning with all of you.
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Hello everyone, my name is Minh Ha and I am from the Boston area in Massachusetts. I work as the Assistive Technology Manager at Perkins School for the Blind, where I’m involved in digital accessibility and access tech training and support for students and staff. I also do accessibility consulting and tactile art work on the side. In my free time, I love jamming on my ukulele, practicing yoga, and hiking anywhere and everywhere (though this summer has been too hot for good outdoors time!) I’m thrilled to be on this journey of learning with all of you!
I’m excited to be able to better support the teachers and students at Perkins who are already using Monarchs in their curricula. I’m a huge proponent of tactile literacy for young blind students as well as adults experiencing vision loss, and the Monarch can be a great tool in facilitating valuable spatial and tactile awareness skills. I’m also looking forward to seeing how displays like the Monarch can support leisure and creative ventures for self expression.
Hi, all. My name is Chris Cooke and I live in Oregon. I am a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist working with blind adult learners in our VR program. I especially love working with our students whose native language is not English. I am looking forward to creating and exploring tactile graphics and so many other things with the Monarch!
Hi Paul!
It is a pleasure to meet you here. Welcome to Monarch RISE! I am the Southwest outreach specialist for APH, and I serve Colorado. Please never hesitate to reach out directly at jwheeler@aph.org if I can ever assist with anything.
Jenny
Hi Manny!
It is a pleasure to meet you here. Welcome to Monarch RISE! I am the Southwest outreach specialist for APH, and I serve Arizona. Please never hesitate to reach out directly at jwheeler@aph.org if I can ever assist with anything.
Jenny
Hi Ronit!
It is a pleasure to meet you here. Welcome to Monarch RISE! I am the Southwest outreach specialist for APH, and I serve California. Please never hesitate to reach out directly at jwheeler@aph.org if I can ever assist with anything.
Jenny
Hi Debee!
It is a pleasure to meet you here. Welcome to Monarch RISE! I am the Southwest outreach specialist for APH, and I serve California. Please never hesitate to reach out directly at jwheeler@aph.org if I can ever assist with anything.
Jenny
Hi Tim!
It is a pleasure to meet you here. Welcome to Monarch RISE! I am the Southwest outreach specialist for APH, and I serve California. Please never hesitate to reach out directly at jwheeler@aph.org if I can ever assist with anything.
Jenny
Hi Caitlin!
It is a pleasure to meet you here. Welcome to Monarch RISE! I am the Southwest outreach specialist for APH, and I serve California. Please never hesitate to reach out directly at jwheeler@aph.org if I can ever assist with anything.
Jenny
My name is Michelle Thompson, and I am a blind high school science teacher living in Florida. I work with students from grades 9-12. I am also starting my Master’s degree to add onto my teaching certification in the field of visual disabilities studies. With this degree I will have the option to transition into becoming a teacher for the visually impaired, where I would be able to work with students from grades K-12.
Something I look forward to learning this Summer is increasing my Monarch proficiency skills, so that I can use it more efficiently.
Hi everyone,
My name is Helen McCoy, and I apologize for such a late introduction—I honestly thought I had done this at the beginning of summer, but I’m not sure what happened! I am a Teacher of the Blind, a braille transcriber, and a parent of a blind child who just graduated this summer. I often feel like I have one foot in each of two worlds—sometimes overlapping, sometimes very different—which I think is a great combination.
Living in remote Alaska, technology has become my close friend. Many blind individuals here live in remote villages, so technology is vital for them as well. I’m so excited to see all the doors the Monarch will open for our students, giving them faster access to curriculum and enabling them to keep up—and even go beyond—their peers.
Having completed the training, I can honestly say I love the point-and-click interaction it offers with the pages you’re reading and writing. I believe it allows for more direct and continuous engagement with the material. I’d love to hear if others feel the same way!
Hi everyone, I am a little late to the introductions but excited to join in!
Name: Garrett Pendergast
Professional Role: I am a CTVI, CATIS, COMS, and CVRT. I also run GPend Vision Services (GPVS).
Location: Mississippi
Who I Serve: I work with a wide range of individuals with vision loss, from children in school to seniors and Veterans building or rebuilding independence. I am also the parent of a child with vision loss, so advocacy and access are both professional and personal for me.
What I Am Excited to Learn: I am looking forward to learning how the Monarch can support literacy and access for all ages. I am also excited to connect with others here and share ideas.
Looking forward to learning with you all.