Meet APH Scholar Katy Jach

APH is proud to recognize Katy Jach, nominated by Pam Parker, Director of Outreach Washington State School for the Blind, as one of our 2025-2026 APH Scholars.  

As an itinerant Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI) in her sixth year, Katy brings a unique perspective with her background in Spanish and Elementary Education. This specialized skill set led to her initial role teaching braille in Spanish (and then English) within a dual-language program, meeting a critical need in her district. Her leadership in the field has grown through several key positions, including her selection as one of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) Teachers of Tomorrow for 2024 and serving on the Accessibility Advisory Committee for Seattle Waterfront Park.  

Katy consistently seeks out opportunities for collaboration and knowledge-sharing, participating in Washington State School for the Blind-sponsored events such as regional BLV Roundups and monthly statewide virtual Focus Forums. She has also represented the Monarch at a regional Techie TVI Meetup in partnership with Northwest Center for Assistive Technology Training (CATT-NW). Her ongoing involvement as an active member of Pacific Northwest AER (PNWAER) further reflects her dedication to professional growth and engagement within the field. In addition, she has applied to serve as a LEGO Braille Bricks Ambassador for the Pacific Northwest region.  

Utilizing APH Products 

Throughout her teaching career, Katy has focused on finding creative ways to implement APH products to help meet her students’ needs. Frequently using  Monarch to teach reading, writing, and tactile graphics, Katy also developed a unique application that writes the musical rhythms written on the board by the band teacher in real time during band class. “When I write multi-line entries for rhythms on the Monarch, it allows my student to immediately clap the rhythm on his lap while reading the music braille with his other hand−something that he could not achieve on a single line display,” says Katy Jach. At the beginning of each semester, she and her student co-present in his secondary classes about blindness etiquette and access technology using the Monarch. “These presentations have reached over 150 students while providing him with opportunities to develop self-advocacy skills and share his expertise,” says Jach.  

The versatility of APH products allows Katy to match technology to specific student needs. For example, she has adapted the Joy Player for both her multilingual and complex-needs students. For her elementary Spanish speaking students, she loads mp3 audio files onto the Joy Player cartridges from Bookshare, including Spanish folktales and short stories, allowing her students to navigate between the short stories using the previous/next buttons. For students with complex needs, she creates single-song cartridges with meaningful tactile symbols attached by string or ribbon. “These symbols directly connect to the song content – attaching bells for a flamenco guitar song or a Hawaiian-themed scrunchie for a Moana song,” says Jach.  

The Chameleon 20 is a device that Katy uses daily, finding the braille display feature extremely useful with her multi-lingual learners for spelling, cursor placement, and editing skills. This year, a student who transitioned from a Spanish dual-language program received ELL support when the multi-lingual specialist (who does not know braille) typed into a shared word document, giving him immediate access to strategies with braille support. Katy has developed other creative approaches for multilingual learners through Lego Braille Bricks, allowing sighted and blind students to engage in identical literacy activities. “While sighted students work with paper letters for unscrambling activities, my braille student participates using braille bricks,” says Jach. “This product creates natural opportunities for peer interaction while positioning my students as braille experts in their classroom communities.” 

Praise for Katy  

Since stepping into her role as a Teacher of Blind or Low Vision Learners Katy has made a significant impact across Washington State, serving as both a leader and advocate in the field. Given her dedication, expertise, and proactive approach, she has distinguished herself as a leader within her Educational Service District and beyond.  

“Katy embodies the qualities of an outstanding candidate for this role, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to blind or low vision education,” says Pam Parker, Director of Outreach, Washington State School for the Blind.  

Looking Toward the Future 

“This meeting would provide opportunities for me to learn about new products for multilingual learners, stay current with Monarch developments and applications, and explore music braille resources,” says Jach. “I would welcome opportunities to field test products in these specialized areas in the future and am excited to grow professionally through APH while collaborating on product development with an expanded network of vision professionals.”  

“I fully expect that Katy will take what she learns at the APH Annual Meeting and find opportunities throughout the Pacific Northwest to disseminate that knowledge, sharing it not only in the previously mentioned settings but also in new and emerging platforms,” says Parker. “Her dedication to professional development and knowledge-sharing will ensure that the impact of this opportunity extends far beyond herself, benefiting students, educators, and the broader blindness education community.” 

More About the Program 

Each year, EOTs are asked to nominate someone they feel provides outstanding service in their region. Through a scholarship, awardees attend the APH Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY as a guest of APH. APH pays for all expenses in attending the conference, including transportation to the meeting, conference registration, and hotel accommodations.  

APH invites these scholars to share their experiences with the rest of the users of APH products and services via webinars and course reviews. During the spring Trustee Advisory Committee Meeting, scholars will be asked to participate in a panel discussion about their service to individuals who are blind or have a visual impairment as well as participate in the review of APH products and services with the committee.  

We look forward to meeting all our APH 2025-2026 Scholars at this year’s Annual Meeting.