Monarch RISE: Resources for Inclusion, Skills, and Employment
In September 2024 APH launched the Monarch, a multi-line braille and graphics tablet, initiating a long-sought revolution in electronic braille technology. Over five years, APH will assess the impact of this innovative braille/graphics technology in significantly enhancing access to achieving and maintaining competitive integrated employment for individuals who are blind, low vision or deafblind. Through Monarch RISE: Resources for Inclusion, Skills, and Employment 250 Monarchs will be distributed to employment and educational professionals and individuals seeking competitive integrated employment across the United States.
The project will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will focus on gathering input regarding the use of the Monarch in competitive integrated employment and educational settings from employment-focused professionals and selected individuals who are blind, low vision or deafblind who will receive Monarchs coupled with training to master the device. In addition to evaluating the use of the Monarch to support competitive integrated employment and higher education, this group will propose targeted improvements to optimize the Monarch for employment-related applications and provide, as appropriate, life-coaching services to individuals served in the second phase of the project.
The second phase will focus on assessing the value of the Monarch’s capabilities in supporting competitive integrated employment and higher education goals for individuals who are blind, low vision or deafblind. These individuals will receive Monarchs coupled with innovative training and support to integrate the Monarch into their vocational or educational pursuits.
Throughout the course of the project, APH will simultaneously develop, test, refine, and launch a new application for the Monarch along with improvements in its existing applications. The new app will take advantage of the Monarch’s braille and graphics capabilities to empower individuals’ efforts to achieve and maintain competitive integrated employment. Feedback from all project participants will be integral to testing and refining the application. It will be available to all Monarch users at no cost.
The RISE project will be built on an iterative process of product distribution, feedback collection, product refinement, ongoing training, and app development to provide support for individuals pursuing competitive integrated employment. The project aims to demonstrate that access to innovative braille and tactile graphics technology will have a significant impact on achievement of and advancement in a variety of competitive and integrated employment opportunities for individuals who are blind, low vision or deafblind.
Disclaimers
The contents of this site were developed under a grant number H21F240052 from the Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. §§ 1221e-3 and 3474). 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.