Monarch is Making a Difference: Demi Morgan’s Story

Demi Morgan is the Associate Director of TVI Services at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. When she first heard about Monarch in 2024, she knew it would be a great piece of technology for her students. Since then, Demi has seen Monarch’s impact firsthand as more of her students have had a chance to work with it.

When Morgan first saw Monarch in person, she was surprised at its size. Until then, the braille displays Morgan had seen only offered one line of refreshable text. Monarch’s size and multi-line display allows for more customization and easier navigation for first time braille learners.

Before Monarch, one of her third-grade students had only had the chance to read and write braille on paper. Since using Monarch, he has been able to experience and learn with digital braille. Now, when his peers are working on touch-screen tablets, he is able to use his own technology built to suit his needs. Monarch’s refreshable display has helped to decrease his habit of scrubbing the page while reading braille, and the combination of braille and a screen reader have increased his focus and independence while working.

With so much more at his fingertips, Morgan has seen her student’s interest in learning skyrocket. Whether it’s getting the chance to access Bookshare and read any book he might have interest in or getting the chance to browse the internet in search for an answer to one of his many research questions, Monarch has greatly improved her student’s desire to gain knowledge.

Not only has Morgan seen an increase in her student’s braille literacy, but she has also seen an increase in his computer literacy as well. Monarch gives students a chance to use a fully functional computer that has a screen reader, braille display, and a keyboard. In a world where schools and careers utilize computers more and more, Monarch gives blind or low vision students the chance to use a computer just like their peers. “Monarch is their laptop,” Morgan said.

Since Monarch, Morgan’s students have had the chance to have images integrated into their learning with the Tactile Graphic Image Library. Previously, her students either missed out on the images altogether or relied on raised line drawings. Since Monarch, Morgan’s students are able to access images in the same way as their peers. They can manipulate the tactile graphics by zooming in or out and are no longer limited to what someone can draw. “The Tactile Graphic Image Library amazed me with all it could do!” Morgan said. Her students now have access to images from the very beginning of their braille journey which aids in learning concepts faster.

A TVI for quite some time, Morgan can say with confidence that getting the chance to introduce tactile graphics early has made a huge impact on her students. “It encourages tactile exploration for young braille readers in a way a traditional brailler does not.” Morgan is excited to see how Monarch continues to impact her first-time braille students.

Overall, Morgan is most grateful for the way Monarch closes the gap for blind or low vision students and their sighted peers. “It gives blind or low vision students a chance to work on a computer that is made for them, access the same images found in their textbooks as their classmates, and so much more,” said Morgan. “I want my students to be as independent as they can be. Monarch gives them that independence.”

The Monarch continues to break down barriers and open fields for more blind or low vision students. To learn more about Monarch, visit our Meet Monarch page. To read more stories like Daniel’s, visit some of our blogs linked below!

• Monarch is Making a Difference: Comparative Study Explores Statistics and Scatter Plots
• Monarch is Making a Difference: Daniel Harris’s Story
• One Year Later: Celebrating and Reflecting on the Monarch