Change Makers: A Podcast from APH
Change Makers: A Podcast from APH
Changing with the Times: Product Modernizations
On this episode of Change Makers, we’re diving into some exciting updates. Every year, a few APH products get a bit of a makeover — modernized to better meet the needs of today’s users. We’re going to explore which products have recently been modernized, what’s new, and why those changes matter.
On this episode (In Order of Appearance)
- Bobby Fulwiler, APH Product Specialist
- Justine Taylor, APH Product Manager
- Jordan Robinson, APH Product Specialist
Additional Links
Welcome to Change Makers, a podcast from APH. We're talking to people from around the world who are creating positive change in the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Here's your host.
Sara Brown:Hello and welcome to Change Makers. I'm APH's Public Relations Manager, Sara Brown. And on today's episode, we'll learn about the Monarch masking frame and how this new product helps you prepare for an actual Monarch device. After that, we're diving into some exciting updates. Every year, select APH products get a bit of a makeover or modernized to better meet the needs of today's users. We're going to explore which products have recently been modernized, what's new and why those changes changes matter. Now it's time to learn about APH's Monarch masking frame. This product helps learners isolate one section at a time of a tactile graphic, which helps reduce overload and improves focus. We're going to hear how it works, its educational impact, and where you can get one. I have APH's Bobby Fulwiler here to tell us more. Hello, Bobby, and welcome to Change Makers.
Bobby Fulwiler:Thanks for having me back. The first time was a blast and I feel more comfortable this time, so hopefully we'll get a lot accomplished.
Sara Brown:Awesome. Well, always glad to have you back and welcome you back. And you know, you're always welcome on Change Makers. And, you know, for those who might have missed your first time on here, would you care to let our listeners know who you are and what it is that you do at APH?
Bobby Fulwiler:Sure. Again, I'm Bobby Fulwiler. I am a product manager at American Printing House for the Blind in the Department of Educational Product Innovation. I started off as a product specialist, became UEB brand certified and kind of worked my way up. Now I'm developing products, mainly focusing on Braille tactile literacy and kind of moving into the app world as well. So pretty robust position, but I'm very happy and very busy, but very happy.
Sara Brown:And talk about braille tactile literacy. Talk about why that aspect is so incredibly important for children.
Bobby Fulwiler:Sure. Just becoming familiar with tactile elements, tactile layout, anything like that. We've also had a focus lately, and we'll talk about this, a good segue to the Monarch masking frame is preparing students to use the Monarch. You know, not everyone can get one. So what can we do to get them ready for it when they do? get that.
Sara Brown:Awesome, yes. And tell me more about this Monarch Masking Frame. Tell me, what is it, and how is it used, and is there an age range for this product?
Bobby Fulwiler:Sure. I would say there's no age range to start off with that. I would say anyone that's interested in the Monarch should be interested in this. It's a rather simple device. It's just a frame. However, it mimics down to the centimeter the exact frame of the Monarch tactile display. So what it is, it's used to represent masking for students who will be transitioning to the Monarch for tactile graphics. So you can get used to the environment of the Monarch through the frame. We can use this tool to demonstrate the experience within the Monarch and viewing a larger tactile graphic on a smaller tactile surface.
Sara Brown:Now, how did a product like this come about? I mean, how was this thought of? Or was this feedback or suggestions from an educator?
Bobby Fulwiler:It was actually a suggestion through our PIC which is how we receive ideas from the public and anyone can submit an idea and this came from Greg Stilson who is if anyone doesn't know Greg he's awesome he is our director of global technology innovation and he's a big help with this he submitted the PIC idea and I kind of ran with it went through field testing and all that kind of good stuff so definitely a need for students to understand and the space spatial dynamics of a Monarch, as well as panning, you know, around a graphic prior to using a dedicated dynamic tactile display.
Sara Brown:So this sounds like it's almost like training wheels for a bike. It's sort of laying that foundation so you're able to use the Monarch.
Bobby Fulwiler:Exactly, exactly, exactly. It's exactly correct.
Sara Brown:Awesome. Now walk me through how one would use this product.
Bobby Fulwiler:Okay, so what I would do is I would introduce a tactile graphic that's embossed, obviously. And I would start, you know, PixBlaster, PageBlaster, one of our embossers. And what this would do, it would demonstrate what the experience would be like when viewing a larger tactile graphic. So you can pan this around on a piece of paper. It's durable. It's very durable. That's what the field test told us. They said we want something durable, a little bit thick, but can easily slide across tactile graphics without complications. So that's exactly what it is. It's a frame that will just pan around a tactile graphic, and it's simply used to acquaint the person with the dedicated tactile display within the Monarch.
Sara Brown:So elaborate a little bit more on how this product prepares you to use the Monarch, because you can zoom in on the Monarch, but how do you, I guess, mimic that aspect of it? on this Monarch masking frame?
Bobby Fulwiler:Sure. So I don't know if zooming would be the right word. Certainly panning. Or panning, yeah. Yeah, certainly panning. You know, I'm not sure if you've used a Monarch, but you would have to, you know, kind of scroll up or down to see the top or bottom or the side of a graphic. And in this, you would just use your hands or whatever's available to pan that masking frame around the tactile graphic to mimic what you would be doing online. Monarch to get you used to that environment of the screen of the Monarch. We use the term mental mapping and spatial integration a lot too with this one. Two good concepts that are noteworthy for sure.
Sara Brown:Okay, so this product sounds like it prepares you to use the Monarch. Can you walk me through how that does that?
Bobby Fulwiler:Absolutely. So when students receive tactile graphics today, they're usually made for a sheet that's 11 and a half by 11. That's a pretty standard size, larger in some cases. But tactile graphics such as maps can be explored through several methods. And building that image in their mind is super important. We use the term spatial integration and mental mapping. So the Monarch display is about a third of the size of 11 and 1 half by 11 sheet of paper. So students will be seeing a smaller portion of the tactile graphic and will need to use panning and zooming skills to kind of build that full image. So when the graphic is first opened on the Monarch, it's open in overview mode. And this takes the large graphic and condenses it down and fits on the Monarch's display. So the student doesn't see the detail of the graphic, but they do understand the general shape and the layout. So the Monarch masking frame is a step to, like I said, acquaint them to using the larger atmosphere of a Monarch screen.
Sara Brown:Okay, so tell us just a little bit more about the physical size of this product.
Bobby Fulwiler:Sure, so it is the, again, the frame part of it itself is the exact same frame is the Monarch, which is very convenient. And like I said, that will kind of help them migrate to the larger atmosphere of the Monarch. It's about nine and a half by 14 inches. It's very lightweight. It's about a quarter of a pound. However, it is very durable. It went through field testing and we were able to thicken it and make it durable and lasting. I also like to add that it is under $20 and it is available through quota
Sara Brown:Now, Bobby, what other products or projects have you been a part of, you know, over the last few years at APH?
Bobby Fulwiler:Yeah, thanks for asking. I'm very proud of the products I've been involved with and projects I've helped come to fruition. First started off as a product specialist. And I think my first big accomplishment was the Pix Blaster with Karen Pope. She was the product manager and I was the product specialist or research assistant, as we used to be called. More recently, I have released the Memory Puzzles line. We have Memory Puzzles Shapes. We also have the Spanish version of that, Memory Puzzles Shape Spanish. And we also have a third puzzle, the Fruits and Veggies, that has a third removal variable. And those are all under $100, also on quota. And I'm working on a few interesting things coming up, the Alphabet Number line and the Astro Adventure Balls, which will be out in 2026. Very excited for that.
Sara Brown:Awesome. So there's always something in the pipeline, I'm sure. So let me ask you this. Where do the ideas come from? Do you think of them or do they just come from, you know, that somebody fills out it, that sends an email with a suggestion like this product or? Sure, sure. Where do the ideas come from?
Bobby Fulwiler:So we have a committee that I guess you could say filters or, you know, vets ideas because we get a lot of ideas and the way that you can submit an idea if you're ever interested is just through APH. That's APH.org. And when you go to our main page, there's a tab called Get Involved. And just below that is Suggest a Product. And anyone, anyone at all can suggest a product. It could be low tech, high tech. It could be a computer game. It could be a puzzle. It could be anything. And we take those into consideration. We run those through a series of tests to see if they're available, if we could make them and how et cetera, and the ones that make it through, we create and we sell to our community in need.
Sara Brown:So, you know, anybody out there listening, your voice can definitely be heard and make a difference. That's such a cool thing. That's such a cool thing. Bobby, before I let you go, is there anything else you'd like to share or discuss?
Bobby Fulwiler:No, I appreciate you having me on today. And I look forward to our annual meeting, which is in Louisville, Kentucky, October 15th, 16th and 17th. Very excited about that and hope to see everybody there.
Sara Brown:Are you doing any presentations during annual meeting? I
Bobby Fulwiler:I am. I will be presenting. More details to come on that. But don't forget, we have the Solutions Hall, which was previously known as the Product Showcase. And we're also going to have a Tech Solutions Hall this year, too. Should be a good time.
Sara Brown:Awesome. Bobby, thank you so much for coming on today and talking to me on Change Makers.
Bobby Fulwiler:Yeah, thank you for having me. It's been a blast. Thank you.
Sara Brown:I have put a link in the show notes for anyone wanting to learn more information about the Monarch Masking frame or Annual Meeting. Now I'm joined by Jordan Robinson and Justine Taylor, both from APH, who are here to tell us all about two recently modernized APH products, Math Builders - Fractions and the tactile Periodic Table of the Elements. Hi, Jordan. Hi, Justine. And welcome to Change Makers. Hello.
Jordan Robinson:Thank you so much for having me.
Justine Taylor:Yeah. Thank you for having me. Great to be here.
Sara Brown:Awesome. Now, before we get into the questions, would you both mind to just tell us, let our listeners know a little bit about you and your background and what you do at APH? Jordan, you want to go first?
Jordan Robinson:Sure. My name is Jordan Robinson. I am a product specialist in the EPI department at APH. I'm My primary focus is modernizations, and I work closely with Justine. Prior to APH, I was a braillist in a Colorado school district for 10 years, and that's how I got started in vision.
Sara Brown:Justine, what about you?
Justine Taylor:Hi, I'm Justine Taylor, and I'm a product manager at APH. I've been here about seven years, and I work in the EPI department. And before I worked here, I was a teacher of the visually impaired and an assistive technology instructor.
Sara Brown:What are some of the ways that you update a product? Talk about some of the ways that you do to bring it up to date.
Justine Taylor:The content in some way usually so with Math Builders specifically that's a math curriculum a series that teaches young learners the foundations of math So like I said, we added in the UEB updates and did digital content for those. So talk about how important tactile and interactive learning tools are, you know, for math and science education. Y
Jordan Robinson:Well, oftentimes with math and science education, a lot of the references are up on the walls or, you know, visually displayed somewhere in the classroom that is inaccessible for those with low vision, including blindness. And so having tools and interactive tools that they can have at their desk really empowers them to be able to do the same things as their peers.
Sara Brown:Now talk about the different options that are available out there for Math Builders.
Justine Taylor:Well, Math Builders, like I said, it's a series of... Like, there's math builders measurement that came out, and that one is a math curriculum that is for young, blind, and low vision learners, K through third grade. And it forms... you know, measurement and estimation. So there have been UAB updates and the teacher guidebook and the worksheets are available as a free digital download. The student worksheets are in print, Nemeth and UAB in embosser ready files. And there is a list of APH products on the product page that directly links to the manipulatives to use to teach measurement. So there is the metric English measurement ruler, the clock face sheets, the analog clock and a talking cooking thermometer and the individual calendar kit that you can get from the website and teach your students about measurement. Talk about the different options that are available for math builders. Math Builders Fractions is another modernization that we did. And again, this is a math curriculum for young blind and low vision students in K through third grade to learn fractions, mixed numbers, and decimals in both UEB and Nemes. So UEB updates were added to the teacher guidebook, which is a free digital download along with the student embossable worksheets in print Nemeth and UEB. And the manipulatives pack includes the fraction circle tray, the pie-shaped fraction pieces, the fraction decimal bar tray, and the fraction bars and the decimal bar set. So there's Nemeth large print and UEB large print. print labels for all of the fraction and decimal pieces. Okay. And is there anything else you'd like to share about math builders? We are working on currently modernizing the unit six, which is geometry. So it'll be math builders geometry. And that one is, It teaches the same grade level, K through third grade, the basics of geometry and the shapes and 3D shapes. And we're adding those UEB updates to the guidebook now. Hopefully that will be out in the spring of fiscal year 26. And then unit eight will be math builder statistics And that one should be out in November.
Sara Brown:And another product you both said you recently modernized was the tactile periodic table. Is that correct?
Jordan Robinson:Yes, that is correct.
Sara Brown:Now, let our listeners know about the tactile periodic table in case they don't know what that is.
Jordan Robinson:So the tactile periodic table is something that APH offered, I want to say up until 2019. And it was discontinued when we had, you know, more products that covered that range. We got some feedback from the field and the science teachers that they wanted it back. So we brought it back, took a look at it and did some minor improvements on it and sent it back out.
Sara Brown:Wow. So, you know, this is from public feedback, you know, that resulted in this being brought back out. That's pretty cool. Absolutely. Listen, you know, the voices are heard. Now, can you talk about how it was updated for it to be re-released? What changes or tweaks were done?
Jordan Robinson:So we enlarged it a little bit and then our prior product, it was folded so that it could be stored in a binder. This one, since it's a little bit bigger, we figured out a way to roll it and put it in a shipping tube so that the student can carry it in their backpack. It'll fit in a standard size backpack. It'll keep it safe. And then they can take it from class to class. It can travel with them home if they need it. And it's just a lot more sturdy I would say now. Justine, would you agree on that?
Justine Taylor:Yeah, it's the, the tactile periodic table that was released is the Nemeth version and the tactile periodic table. It's an accessible science product in print and braille, and it has high contrast colors that allow students to learn the earth's elements. So the peer, table rolls up and can be transported in a tube for safekeeping and while traveling from class to class and to home to reference for any of the students' assignments. So there is a downloadable reference guide in print and braille to further their exploration of each element by atomic number so and where it can be found on Earth. And the UAB version is coming out soon. So, yeah, that one has been updated, like Jordan mentioned. And I think it'll be a great tool to have for students. Like Jordan said, a lot of posts and things that are on the walls of their science class or referenced aren't always accessible to the blind and low vision students. So this being able to be easily transported and taken from class to home is going to be a great tool for them to use.
Sara Brown:Okay. And talk about the importance of updating or modernizing these products Because, you know, there's that saying, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." But sometimes things do just need a little refreshing. Talk about the importance of making sure products are always sort of refreshed and up to date.
Jordan Robinson:Well, one of the biggest modernizations with this one, and one of the bigger modernizations that we've done throughout is updating to UEB. Since the US changed over to UEB, we've had to, you know, bring in or update products to align with that code. But Nemeth is still so prevalent um in a lot of the schools so having both is a big deal so bringing those up to uev standards and then when we refresh them we also make sure that um They're the standard of practice or, you know, they still align with state standards and are still relevant because education is constantly changing. The requirements are constantly changing. So we need to make sure our products are still aligning with those state standards throughout as well. Now, are there any products in the future or that are in the pipeline of being modernized, can you say? There's a lot that are in the process of being modernized. As Justine said, she's coming out or she's working on the next math builders, which is really exciting.
Sara Brown:So we'll just have to stay tuned for future products that are getting modernized and hopefully bring you all back on so you can let our listeners know about it. Before I let you two go, is there anything else you would like to share or discuss?
Jordan Robinson:I just want to reiterate that, you know, having that feedback from the field is really important because, you know, Justine and I both have been in the field, but we're not there anymore. So knowing what's relevant and what the field wants is really helpful in guiding our path and you know what products we look at next .
Justine Taylor:Like Jordan said there there's a lot that we're working on trying to refresh and and bring up to date with UEB updates and yeah there's there's more to come so it's very exciting.
Sara Brown:Okay thank you both so much for coming on and talking to me today on Change Makers. Thank you for having us. Yeah, thank you. The Tactile Periodic Table of the Elements and Math Builder's Fractions are both federal quota eligible. Please check the show notes to learn more about those two products. This wraps up this episode of Change Makers. A big thank you again to Jordan Robinson, Justine Taylor, and Bobby Fuwiler for coming on and sharing all that great information about those products. And thank you for listening. If you'd like to learn more about those or get details on this year's annual meeting, which will be held in downtown Louisville on October 15th, 16th, and 17th. Be sure to check the show notes for more information. Don't forget to subscribe to Change Makers wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode. And if you like what you heard today, leave us a review. It helps others find the show. Also, if you have a show idea, a topic idea, or follow-up questions to an episode, be sure to send me an email at changemakers@aph.org and as always, be sure to look for ways you can be a changemaker this week.