Monarch is Making a Difference: Creating New Holiday Traditions

A Pre-Employment Transition Skills Trainer with Advocates Searching for Independence (ASI), LLC, Daniel Martinez received his Monarch through the Monarch RISE project. With a master’s in special education from the University of Texas Rio Grand Valley, he mentors youth with disabilities. He first heard about Monarch through the National Federation of the Blind and Richard Rueda, Director of CareerConnect at APH.  

Using Monarch at work to access current articles with Newsline on the Victor Reader app gives Martinez the ability to continue learning by obtaining information from what he reads. “With Monarch, I’m able to concentrate on what’s in front of me,” says Martinez. Without Monarch, he must rely on his computer.  

While Monarch is primarily a work tool for Martinez, he says he has found it invaluable at home with his children — four-year-old, David, and two-year-old, Hannah. Both sighted, Martinez has struggled to find books that are in both print and braille that he can share with them. Monarch has changed that. Not only is he able to pull up books through services like BookShare, Monarch has also given him the ability to pull up graphics from APH’s Tactile Graphic Image Library (TGIL), which he and his children use to ‘go on a journey’ by incorporating the images into storytelling.  

This holiday season, Martinez is using Monarch to create new holiday traditions. Reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to his children for the first time, he’s also able to access a wide variety of Christmas crafts and recipes through Braille Monitor magazine on Monarch. Another first will be drawing Christmas cards with his children using graphics of ornaments from the TGIL. Before Monarch, Martinez was only able to draw outlines of images. Noting that it’s important to him that his children see him accessing art, Monarch has given him that ability. Now, as his children draw, they will see him drawing the full image, too.   

Part of South Texas Blind Anglers Chapter of Fishing Future, a group that teaches blind or low vision children how to fish, Martinez uses books on BookShare to teach the kids the different parts of a fish and educate them about fishing. Playing the guitar by ear, Martinez is excited about learning to read braille music on Monarch using KeyWord, the Monarch’s braille editor.  

Jill Dunaway, an Assistive Technology Specialist at the Center for Assistive Technology (CATT), trains Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs), paraprofessionals, parents, and mentors those who are blind or low vision and unemployed. Prior to working at CATT, Dunaway taught assistive technology at the Alabama School for the Blind for 15 years and will have been with the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind (AIDB) for 28 years in January. She has an M.A. in Special Education and is a Certified Teacher of the Visually Impaired as well as a Certified Braille Transcriber.  

Involved in Monarch’s beta testing, Dunaway obtained her first Monarch in May of 2023.  Later participating in teacher training at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) in January of 2024, she received a second Monarch. Dunaway began training others on Monarch after it was officially released last year.  

Most recently using Monarch to incorporate holiday themes with her clients, she recalls one young girl who especially enjoyed pulling up the tactile graphic of a Christmas tree on the TGIL. When presenting, Dunaway says she has enjoyed using the tactile graphic of a gingerbread man and looks forward to using the Wing It app in the future to draw snowflakes. She has found Monarch useful in accessing Christmas books for both children and adults to enjoy with services like BookShare on Victor Reader, noting that some have used the Monarch’s word processor to create Christmas lists they could even email to Santa! Dunaway says she has personally enjoyed using Monarch for her own personal Bible study, including reading the Christmas story. 

Amazed at how far Monarch has come in such a short time, Dunaway said, “If all Monarch did was multi-line reading, I would love it. Combine that with being able to pull up tactile graphics and mathematical equations in real time – it’s amazing!” Dunaway says the possibilities are endless. She is excited about what’s to come – looking forward to the day when she’ll be able to access a tactile dual monitor set-up with split screen for the first time where she will be able to present on half of the Monarch screen and display notes on the other half. 

Outside of work, Dunaway is an active member of her church, loves music, and reading. She holds bachelor’s degrees in both French and Music, loves SEC football (is a HUGE Alabama fan), AND her two teenage nephews, Jacob and Joshua. 

Portions of the contents of this blog were developed under grant #H421F240052 from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this document. The contents of this blog may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this blog does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department. This publication is not intended to represent the views or policy of or be an endorsement of any views expressed, or materials provided by any Federal agency (EDGAR 75.620).