Celebrating the First Monarch Student Pilot Project Graduates
This week the Monarch Student Pilot Project (MSPP) celebrated the graduation of 16 seniors. As students look to what’s next — universities; vocational, technical, or trade programs; and more — they have been given all the tools they need to go forward with confidence. MSPP Project Manager Sarah Gauer has no doubt their futures are bright, “I feel an overwhelming sense of anticipation. I cannot wait to witness what these young adults will accomplish!”
Not only are these 16 seniors graduating with unparalleled education on the Monarch ecosystem, but thanks to the MSPP, each of these students will now be taking their Monarch with them at no cost. “I haven’t used this word many times in my life, but the only accurate description I can think of when the students heard the news is jubilation! There’s been lots of celebrations, some tears of joy, as well as intense relief. For a lot of students, Monarch has become an integral part of their everyday and they couldn’t imagine facing the next chapter of their lives without multiline braille,” said Gauer. “Monarch is opening up opportunities that have never existed before. These young adults now get to leverage those opportunities, which is an enormous deal.”
Each of the students has also been given an automatic acceptance into the Monarch RISE Project, should they choose to apply. “RISE is an amazing opportunity for these young adults to continue their Monarch journey. Not only will they continue to have support learning new features of Monarch as they launch, but they’ll also receive support learning and applying competitive integrated employment (CIE) skills like resume building, self-advocacy, delivering presentations, and live collaboration with colleagues,” said Gauer. Projects like Monarch RISE and MSPP are helping to build confidence, proficiency, and independence for Monarch users. “Programs like this are vital and we need more of them. The goal has always been to empower access tech users. What better way to meet that goal than to bring cutting edge tech into their hands as soon as possible and provide dedicated pathways to share feedback and innovative ideas? These programs are giving participants a hand in the future of accessible technology.” said Gauer.
In their most recent meeting, on May 26, MSPP and RISE users alike took some time to celebrate the graduating seniors. An educator from New Mexico said, “I love the Monarch and seeing the things that it’s done to change our students’ walk in education.” She also said, “Seeing the teachers and students get excited together about the process and the device and outcomes, that has been a big, huge sunshine.” A homeschool parent from Mississippi said, “I will figure out a way to incorporate Monarch with every subject because he just enjoys it that much, and it’s helped him out so much.”
Wherever life takes these students next, we are confident they have been equipped with the tools they need to achieve their dreams. “Some of them may not even realize it yet, but they’ve become expert consultants on cutting edge braille technology. They’ve honed not just their accessible technology skills, but also their ingenuity by evaluating the existing tech, voicing their observations, and pitching creative ideas. Having an innovative mindset is like a Swiss army knife in their back pocket; it will come in handy wherever they find themselves,” said Gauer.
Congratulations to the 2026 graduating class of MSPP seniors, we cannot wait to see what you do next!