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Monarch is Making a Difference: Gina Fugate’s Assistive Tech Story

Gina sits next to a student who is using a Monarch as they present on the device.

Gina Fugate is a Computer Science and Assistive Technology teacher at the Maryland School for the Blind. Just over a year ago, after spending time on the waiting list for a Monarch, Fugate worked her way into an open spot at the Baltimore Monarch teacher training. After receiving her Monarch, it was immediately clear just how much she needed to get this device into her student’s hands. “I was flown into Annual Meeting last fall to present with a student. I bargained and pleaded and said, you know, I can’t do much ‘Monarching’ when I have multiple students and only one Monarch,” said Fugate. In response, her classroom received four more donated Monarchs, in addition to five new Monarchs purchased by the school.  

‘Monarching’ is the affectionate term Fugate uses to reference Monarch exploration with her students. As with any new device, learning the program takes time and hard work from both the teacher and the students, but Fugate has found it easy to get kids excited to put in the effort. “I’ve had kids sneaking out of other classes and services to come and go ‘Monarching’ with me, so I have to really check their schedules. I’ve never experienced that before, where students were that excited to learn something,” said Fugate. Currently there isn’t a time dedicated for students to come to an elective Monarch course, but Fugate certainly hopes that can be implemented in the future and that Monarch training can receive the priority it deserves. “If this was the first iPad for sighted kids, and we had one for every 10 kids, would that be acceptable? Would we be holding back? I don’t think so,” said Fugate.  

For some educators, the concern is that student training would cause kids to become attached to technology that they may not have access to after graduation. “Would you tell a student not to read a book in the library, or in a bookstore, just because you weren’t going to buy it? You’d be underestimating the value of that learning,” said Fugate. In her own classroom, she has noticed the way students have begun using the Monarch in tandem with their other assistive technologies, making it not only an important learning tool, but a helpful addition to what they already know. Whether reading multiple lines of text, pulling up a chart, or reviewing a set of data, the Monarch’s display makes it easier for students to view complex groups of text and data as they complete assignments. Even if the student is completing an assignment sheet on their laptop, being able to reference the necessary data fully, both independently and with peers, changes the way these students are completing their assignments. “Even in use as a reference tool, let’s not underestimate what the Monarch is doing. Knowledge is power,” said Fugate. 

The Monarch has also led to student exploration with code, improved braille reading skills, and even behavioral modification in braille reading. When one of Fugate’s students first started using the Monarch, she would keep her right fingers split on lines of text, while using her left hand to press down on those fingers as she navigated the text and tried to discern the dots − a form of braille reading known as scrubbing. However, after changing the line distance on the Monarch display, the student self-corrected and began using both hands. “One of the most powerful things we have discovered here, is making sure we don’t stereotype and think we need to only give this big new device to the fastest and best braille readers. We could be overlooking students who can really grow,” said Fugate.  

“There hasn’t been one kid who had the opportunity to workon the Monarch and didn’t want to continue,” said Fugate. As the student’s use with the Monarch continues to grow, Gina Fugate expects that both she and her students will find new ways to break into uncharted learning with the Monarch.  

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