Accessing braille textbooks is often costly and time-consuming. The Monarch, a multi-line braille and
tactile display, eliminates these challenges by storing hundreds of braille textbooks in one portable device.
The savings on printed braille materials quickly offset the cost of the Monarch itself.
Students no longer need to carry heavy books. Monarch allows them to have a whole library of braille and tactile materials at their fingertips.
This innovation saves time and cuts costs. It also makes sure students have the resources they need to learn and succeed in the classroom.
Accelerating braille literacy and reading speed
Due to their lack of reading fluency, blind students may test below their grade in reading because of the limitations of single-line braille.
Monarch changes that. With its multi-line braille and tactile graphics display, students can read, skim, and proofread naturally—just like reading on paper.
The integrated Victor Reader app connects Monarch to platforms like Bookshare,
RNIB Bookshare,
and Vision Australia. This gives students quick access to digital
braille content.
Readable with both hands, Monarch helps students move through text faster, write more fluently, and build confidence with every page. Early feedback
from educators and transcribers shows significant gains in reading speed and comprehension, empowering teachers to deliver richer, more effective braille instruction.
Multiline screen reader integration for inclusive learning
Monarch’s integration with JAWS and NVDA now extends beyond professional use into education. Students can access multi-line braille layouts for subjects like math, coding, and language arts, while teachers share the same content visually on screen. This connection gives learners real-time access to structured materials—spreadsheets, equations, or formatted text—exactly as intended, improving comprehension and engagement. By supporting the world’s most widely used screen readers, Monarch ensures that blind and low-vision students can participate in the same digital classroom experience as their sighted peers.
Monarch includes built-in tools that support both students and teachers.
With KeyMail, students can send assignments, communicate with teachers, and manage email accounts using familiar commands.
The integrated word processor supports reading, writing, and converting files between braille and print formats. Students can create .docx files, edit them in multi-line braille, and send them directly to teachers. Teachers can also connect Monarch to visual displays to review students’ work in real time. This connection encourages collaboration between blind and sighted learners, an essential part of inclusive education.
For the first time, students can browse the web in a multi-line braille environment, access online materials, and engage with digital classrooms independently.
Building tactile graphic literacy
Understanding tactile graphics is key to spatial learning — helping students who are blind or have low vision grasp abstract concepts through touch.
Monarch nurtures this skill from an early age by displaying braille and tactile graphics together on one dynamic surface.
Through the APH Tactile Graphic Image Library(TGIL), students can access more than 1800 ready-to-use tactile images illustrating concepts in science,
geography, and social studies. Teachers can select tactile maps, shapes, and diagrams that bring lessons to life, from the outline of a fish to the
texture of a dollar bill. By making tactile exploration faster and more intuitive, Monarch helps students keep pace with sighted peers while strengthening
spatial and conceptual understanding.
Now, with the TactileViewmode, Monarch offers even greater flexibility. Teachers and transcribers can create, edit, and print tactile graphics directly on the device — transforming classroom materials, diagrams, and worksheets into accessible formats in minutes.
Combined with the TGIL and the Wing It app for real-time tactile drawing, Monarch gives educators a full suite of tools to design, share, and adapt tactile content instantly.
“We used the Wing It app to draw a tactile map of a college campus we were going to explore. One of my students enjoyed just doodling and exploring what he drew.” — O&M instructor
And with Monarch’s new visual-output capability, teachers and sighted peers can follow along on an external screen — seeing exactly what a student feels on the tactile display. Whether it’s a map, chart, or diagram, everyone learns together, making education visual, tactile, and truly inclusive.
Learn more about expanding tactile graphic access on
Aph.org or read HumanWare’s full announcement
here.
Supporting STEAM learning
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) subjects can be especially challenging for students who are blind or have low vision. Monarch bridges that gap. Its 10-line by 32-cell tactile display and built-in MathML translation engine let students read, solve, and visualize equations, graphs, and technical diagrams directly on the device — making STEM learning accessible and interactive.
The KeyMath app lets learners calculate equations and instantly feel tactile graphs. In collaboration with Desmos, KeyMath functions as both a graphing calculator and a tactile graphing tool, helping students understand algebra, geometry, and calculus through touch.
Students can share their work with teachers as printed or digital files, making it easy to verify accuracy and reinforce concepts.
See how the Monarch makes math tactile and fun pandas, graphs, and more!
Teachers who piloted Monarch report major gains in classroom engagement, reading speed, and math comprehension. They describe the device as intuitive, collaborative, and transformative for students who are blind or have low vision.
When educators first began using Monarch, they were asked how long it took to prepare a lesson plan. After one year of classroom integration, teachers who regularly incorporated Monarch into their instruction reported an average 30% reduction in lesson prep time.
“As with anything, there can be a hurdle in learning how Monarch fits into the classroom,” said Sarah Gauer, APH’s Monarch Student Pilot Project Manager. “But for those who push past that and take the time to really learn, the benefits are huge.” Gauer believes that broader adoption will transform how teachers approach inclusive education:
“I look forward to reaching that tipping point where there’s a Monarch in every classroom. With this technology, we’ll see a real shift in how education is approached for both sighted and blind or low-vision students.”
Named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2025, the Monarch—co-developed by HumanWare and APH—redefines braille and tactile learning for students worldwide.
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Discover HumanWare solutions for blind and low-vision users, including Monarch, the next generation of tactile learning.
.jpg "A teenage girl stands in a library. She is holding a Monarch tablet next to a stack of 46 identical books titled Algebra that reaches to above her shoulders.")
.jpg "A student uses a Monarch to view a tactile graph while the graph is also being displayed on the computer screen in front of him.")
