Monarch is Making a Difference: Alexander Liddell’s Story
Alexander Liddell is an IT and Modifications team lead at a Hearing and Vision Service in Manchester. He specializes in assistive technology for blind or low vision individuals ages zero to 25. As an active member in the field of assistive technology, Liddell first heard about Monarch’s development a few years ago. “There were rumors going around, and I’ve got friends in HumanWare. I was being drip fed little bits of information, but I had to wait a long time to get my hands on it,” said Liddell.
In September of 2025, Liddell finally had the opportunity to hold a Monarch. After interacting with the device for the first time, he took to LinkedIn. In his post, Liddell wrote, “Today I finally had the chance to get hands-on with the Monarch and see it in action and honestly, I was blown away. It’s an incredible piece of kit that sparked a million ideas and questions the moment I started exploring it. There was even a wave of nostalgia, the tactile feel reminded me of an Atari / 8-bit era device but packed with modern innovation that could transform how braille users access digital content. This isn’t just new hardware; it’s a glimpse into the future of accessibility technology. I left genuinely inspired about what it could mean for education, independence, and inclusive design. Bravo American Printing House for the Blind.”
Because of Liddell’s position with assistive technology, HumanWare brought the Monarch over to his company for a demonstration. While his expectations were high, Monarch met all of them. “There was a big anticipation around the device. Usually, I will go and research everything I can about something new, but with the Monarch I didn’t. I wanted to be surprised. It met all of my expectations and then some,” said Liddell. “My initial reservation with the release of the device was that it might be aimed towards higher education... But once I got my hands on the device, I was able to see how it could function as an early device and could see someone through the entirety of their education.”
As more apps have been released, and updates have been made to the Monarch, Liddell has found himself even more confident in the importance of this multi-line display. “I’m usually very skeptical about new devices, but for some reason there was something pulling on me about this device. I just knew it had the potential to change so many lives. And we’re not just talking about education here, we’re talking about lives in general across the globe,” said Liddell. One of his favorite additions to the Monarch was the WingIt app. “WingIt completely blew me away. I was so impressed with how I could do things on the fly,” said Liddell. “When you’re in school and things haven’t gone to plan, it’s all about doing things on the fly. Being able to do that on the Monarch is really important.”
To learn more about Monarch, visit our Meet Monarch page. To read more stories about Monarch in the wild, visit some of our blogs linked below!