Monarch Making a Difference: Elena’s Homeschool Story

In and out of the classroom, Monarch aims to enhance student experience with all kinds of opportunities for independent learning and growth.  

Elena is a 12th grader from Michigan who is blind. She is one of three siblings, all in the 12th grade, who are homeschooled by their mom, Becky. Elena and her siblings have been sharing a Monarch, which they received one year ago through the Monarch Student Pilot Project. As Elena and her siblings have spent time working on the Monarch, she has come to see how the device has served as a useful tool in many different capacities.  

Elena gravitated toward the Monarch initially as a reading device, but after taking time to review the multitude of applications, she found that there were a lot of ways to interact with the Monarch. “I wanted to see drawings, use the internet, and read. I thought if we have a Monarch, we should try to make good use of it,” said Elena. “I would go online, read emails, and enjoy taking a break from having to listen. I could just read.”

Often with the volume of material being read aloud to students who are blind or low vision, they can experience a bit of burnout in receiving information through auditory learning. However, up until now, reading even small sections of text on a single line braille display could feel inconvenient with the need to refresh after each line. With the Monarch’s 10-line display, reading can be a relaxing break from auditory processing, rather than trading one difficulty for another. “With multiple lines, it just feels like turning a page,” said Elena.  

Elena’s siblings found ways to enjoy the Monarch as well, engaging with their individual interests on the device. One primarily wanted to read, another was interested in graphing math equations/looking at diagrams, while Elena got excited exploring the web and viewing tactile images. With the internet and the Tactile Graphic Image Library at her fingertips, Elena began diving into her interest in monuments and historical figures. She could not only research and read articles in a comfortable way but immediately found images of iconic statues and historical locations. “I could zoom in and get a closer look to tell what the details really are,” said Elena.  

Watching her children explore the device, Becky was able to to see how the Monarch had helped as a tool in and out of the classroom. “They are still excited about the newness of the device, and it’s been a great way to practice reading out loud and work on fluency. They all read better out loud when they read from the Monarch,” said Becky. 

The capabilities of Monarch are vast, encouraging users to embrace the possibility of new types of learning. For students like Elena and her siblings, all it took was a little time to engage with the Monarch’s applications before finding endless opportunities for independent study. Whether students are in the classroom or at home, Monarch is opening doors to a whole new world of learning.