On this episode, hear from APH leaders about the past 12 months, and what’s ahead for the next few months.
On This Episode (In Order of Appearance)
Additional Links
On this episode, hear from APH leaders about the past 12 months, and what’s ahead for the next few months.
On This Episode (In Order of Appearance)
Additional Links
<silence> 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 are looking back over the last 12 months and learning what's to come in 2024. It is just a few weeks away, I have APH's President and Vice Presidents here to share their thoughts and feelings over everything that's gone on over the past months. And you know, what they have their sights set on in the new year. I have APH President, Dr. Craig Meador, APH Vice President, Chief Officer, Innovation and Strategy, Anne Lancaster and APH Vice President , Impact and Outreach. Paul Schroeder. Hello everyone, and welcome to Change Makers .
Craig Meador:Thank you. Thanks.
Anne Lancaster:Thanks, Sara.
Sara Brown:And before we get going with the questions, can I just get you all to introduce yourself and let our listeners know what it is that you do?
Craig Meador:Sure. I am , uh, Craig Meador. I'm the President at APH.
Anne Lancaster:I'm Anne Lancaster, and I'm the Vice President of Innovation and Strategy at APH.
Paul Schroeder:And I'm Paul Schroeder, the Vice President for Impact and Outreach.
Sara Brown:Okay. Well, welcome and thank you all so much for coming on. And, you know, it's been, it's been a big year for APH and it's a really exciting time. Can you all just share some of the memorable moments that's stand out to you , that's happened over the past 12 months?
Craig Meador:Well, I'm, I'm just gonna throw out the , the softballs and then let the team, I mean, I think the two big ones is we finally got, after two years of planning, began the renovation of the building, which has been long, long needed. And the other one would be the actual introduction of the Monarch to the world.
Anne Lancaster:And I have to say, when I look back on this past year, it's full of these just amazing, what I call "Monarch moments." Um, the first time that Bill McCann was writing Beethoven's No. 9 Symphony on the Monarch, and we got to see how it could show music. Uh, the first time we saw a map of the United States, and we could zoom in and out and, and we heard students saying , " um , you know, just how amazing that was" and how they didn't realize certain states were next to each other. Uh, I think, you know, going with Paul to Congress and showing it to Congress, and they were super receptive and, and that was great. And just overall seeing everyone in the field pull together and bring in their pieces to make Monarch work, I mean, that's very satisfying to see people working together. I have to say, a couple of my favorite Monarch moments I have to give to Paul, and one was him singing the "Highway to Braille" song in front of about a thousand people at NFB. We'll never forget that. And also his testimony in front of Congress about the Monarch, which was just amazing. So, hats off to Paul for some of my favorite Monarch moments.
Paul Schroeder:Well, I'd, I'd certainly , uh, thanks, Anne . There'll , there'll , there'll be , uh, highlights in my moments of life, actually, that those were a lot of fun. Um, the , the fact that we had something to show at Congress and , uh, show to the committee and a real live, honest to goodness product , uh, that was , that, that was working, that was effective, that looked cool. Um, you know, I <laugh> I , I get the credit for sitting there at the table, but, but it was The Monarch that was the show, and I think that's what got the attention, and that's why, you know, why we were there. And so people were obviously excited to see it. Uh , the other thing I would put into , uh, the year, and it's an ongoing thing, and that's all of the, the great discussions we've been having about the dot experience and what that could turn into. And as we kinda reshape and rethink how to make a museum , uh, that, that lives up to , uh, what we want the dot experience to be, and sort of thinking through that over the past year has really been gratifying, fun, challenging, sometimes , uh, tough because, you know, there's already beginning to be, you know, decisions about what, what, what's what's gonna be able to be told in that story and what we may not be able to tell in that story and may not be able to tell as well as, as we'd like. It's, it's , uh, it's, it's really been an interesting conversation over the past year.
Anne Lancaster:Right . I was gonna say that , um, I also just kinda wanna say that I, I think that our team at APH and our partners have just been stellar this year, and how well they work together , um, how they've been making things happening, not just solving problems with the Monarch, but working on some of our other projects together. Um, you know, all of the, the , the , uh, the commotion around the building move and, and all of that. And Polly , the launch of Polly , you know, prior to that launch and to get it out on time, I think we had, you know, multiple staff that just had to listen to about 200 Polly sing over and over again while they were getting those ready to go <laugh> . So, you know, just watching how everyone is pulled together, everyone understands where we're going, and they all wanna be a part of that, you know, our team and our partners alike, and that kind of collaboration and , uh, cooperation doesn't come around very often, so it's been really amazing to watch.
Sara Brown:And then what about improvements? I feel like we're always looking to improve upon or, or do something, improve or enhance something. So is there anything you all would like to improve upon for next year?
Anne Lancaster:Hmm .
Paul Schroeder:Well, I <laugh> I'd certainly like , like to see our appropriation increase next year
Anne Lancaster:I's like , how do we say we need more resources?
Paul Schroeder:Yeah. To, to the extent that , uh, you know, if, if , uh, "if wishes were horses" or whatever that phrase is , um, we'd cer certainly, of course, would, would we always, we always want to see that. But, but I think what, what I'd, what I'd like to say about that, and we'll talk more I'm sure as we go forward, is helping , uh, Congress to understand that, to make the kinds of changes that we're prepared to do with Monarch, it's not just the technology, although just that alone would be sufficient reason to raising to, to have more resources. But all of the stuff that needs to happen to make that possible , um, is is an important part of this, you know, investment that our government should be and , and is making in the lives of blind students. And yeah, I'd love to see, I'd , I'd like to see that funded better, but, you know, I think there's, there's a lot of demands on our , uh, taxpayer dollars
Anne Lancaster:There. There are, but , but I think at APH, we're at the place where the remaining unsolved problems that we have in education and access are expensive problems to solve. And they require a lot of research and trial and error to get to where we need to go. It's not that we don't know what we need to do, and we don't know what the problems are, we absolutely do, but having the resources to get that right, that's, that's something that we're lacking. And, you know , we're, we're making really good use of the funds we have. We're making great progress with what we have, but we know we can do so much more and what we need to do so much more. But that costs money, unfortunately.
Craig Meador:And then I think other improvements, we've got all these outward facing , although they have internal components to it with the, the work we've been doing that Paul and Anne alluded to , um, but probably the , the bigger internal that I'm most anxious for is this. Uh, we are now getting closer to making a decision about our whole , uh, financial and , uh, our resource planning system here at APH. And the goal of that when we started down that road year, year and a half ago, was to find a system that would be fully accessible so that we would never have to tell a staff person, you can't have this position or that position because the software will not allow you to do the functions of the job. And so we are probably within four months of making a decision on a whole software package that should just revolutionize opportunity at APH, which, but it's gonna be a long two to three year slog in getting that set up and getting it perfected. And then it'll be a continual work in progress as every software has, has updates. When they have updates, they have hiccups. But I'm very excited about that because that was a decision that I , we brought to the EC and the EC approved of that, and then we took it to the board and the board approved of that decision. So we were all moving forward in lockstep, and we're getting close to making a decision on a product that's gonna help us achieve that goal. So it , so we've got the building remodel, which is , um, gonna be what we've started already, but we've got another two years to go on that. We've got the DOT Experience happening, that's two years to go on that. And then this whole software revolution, which will be about three years. So excited, lot of innovation that still needs to happen. And , uh, trying to just look at it three months at a time or four months at a time, because three years is, I know we'll be here before we realize it, but it's, it's a lot to think about if you look at it from that too far back.
Anne Lancaster:And, and it's not just the new that challenges us, it's the old too . One of the things that we're trying to do is look at our 500 plus product line and decide what still works. I , I kid you not, we have tried and true products at APH that have been around for 20 years or longer. And we haven't looked at those to say update resources in the, in the , uh, manuals. We have not like said, "is there a better way we could be manufacturing this a less cheap, you know, less expensive way that might bring the cost down?" Uh, "can we make it look better?" "Can we use better technology?" So that is a huge job in and of itself to start going through that pile and deciding, you know, what's still relevant, what needs to be improved, and, and maybe even what needs to evolve into the next iteration of something. So , uh, that's a big job, but it's, like I said, there's a lot going on that's new at APH, but there's a lot going on that's old as well. <laugh> .
Sara Brown:Anne and Craig, you've mentioned the renovations to make room for the Dot Experience. So right now, if you drive past our campus, by the time this podcast airs, hopefully you'll see some major construction going on on the front lawn. But talk about why the creation of the museum is so important, not only to individuals who are blind or low vision, but also to people with any type of disability.
Craig Meador:Well, I, you know, the, when we first started this, the, the real plan was give us a bigger museum. You know, we had , uh, acquired the Helen Keller archives, but we didn't have sufficient space to, when , I mean, acquired, we have those on loan from AFB, we are the, the , uh, uh, stewards of those to take care of those for the next 10 years or so. Um, but we really had no place to show a larger piece of that collection. So that's how this all started. And then it quickly morphed into , um, making sure that all the museum needed to be more accessible. Uh , you know, we have a wonderful collection and we ha we have a wonderful museum, which is all in boxes right now, but there was a big chunk of that that you couldn't touch. You couldn't, you couldn't see. We had a lot of, I'm better than most museums. We had a lot of tactile , uh, representations of whether it be , uh, uh, part of the Louis Braille book or , um, some other devices, but you know, this , so this then spun into, well, "when we spend this money, let's make sure this museum is accessible." Then it became, "let's make sure it's the most accessible museum." And then we were well into that planning phase, and it basically was recreation of our museum , museum with artifacts and making it the most , uh, accessible museum. And then I, I don't know , we had a light bulb moment, but then the focus shifted from more of show and tell to let's, you know, we have an opportunity here to do something bigger. We can, we can strive to change hearts and minds and just by changing our approach to the museum. So it , it became rather than a, a show and tell and having people walk away and say, "well, I learned something that was cool." I didn't know that we wanted people to go away either, you know , I always say it's, it is like either you want people to go away and, and be , uh, have a confirmation of that they're doing the right thing, or you want people to have a , um, uh, you , you know, or an inspiration to do something more, or you want to, there's another Asian word there where you talk about them feeling the a pain point of, "I should do better." So we wanted to touch hearts. We wanted people to come away and say, "not only did I learn something, but I can do something to make my workplace more accessible." Or, "I can do something to not be a barrier to accessibility or inclusivity." Or, "I can write a letter to my congressperson." Or I can. So we wanted people to have a takeaway action. So , uh, we wanna touch hearts, we wanna touch minds, but we also wanna drive people to action. And so we kind of spun that on its head and we said, "well, how do you do that?" And that became the big challenge. "How do you, how do you get people to that, that space where they're ready to think with , feel with their heart and, and move themselves to some level of action?" Um , because that's a definitely harder to do than basically providing , uh, educational escapism. So , um, that, that was a , a , a big turning point and was actually, it's, you know, you look back on it when we made that decision, and now it seems so natural, but at the time it was really kind of like a , a complete 180 of the direction we were going.
Anne Lancaster:Now you asked specifically about, you know, "why is this important to people with disabilities and to blind people?" Um, I think if we do this right, what will be important is that they feel included. And I'm not just talking about the experience they have when they walk through the doors. I'm talking about everything that we're doing to build this museum. We have been , um, working with many different groups who've been participating in prototyping, reviewing , um, different documents and plans and things like that. We have really tried to be inclusive from the get go on this. And, you know, if we continue to do this right, then when they do have that experience, that's what I hope they come away with, is , I feel included. This isn't like where I went to a museum and of the 100 paintings, I got to feel three tactile representations. Everything from the time you walk in the door until the time you leave should be an enriching experience for everyone with no limitations. And that is a huge, huge task. By the way. We are learning an awful lot and, and struggling with a lot of problems, but that is our commitment. And I think if we don't get that right, we won't be able to change hearts and minds the way that Craig is saying we have to walk the talk. And that's really important. So that's what I would say. Other , other than that, I, I would just say that we have worked very hard , um, with all of these groups to tell people's stories , um, to, to make that part of an experience as to what their lives are like, living as a blind person. And we think those stories will be surprising to some people who don't have vision loss. And , um, we have to get that right too. So I think in, in addition to feeling included, I really hope that everyone feels heard , uh, when this museum opens.
Paul Schroeder:Yeah. And you know, I think we're gonna, we're gonna do something which is also great, and, and we'll have some dividends. And that is that we're going to have a , a a set of educated consumers, right, who are gonna come , who are gonna come to this museum, as well as our own staff, who are gonna expect more from museums that they go to in turn. And and I hope that'll sort of be, that, that ripple , uh, that sends out a , a current eventually to get for other museums to get the message that, hey, you need to do better for, for the disability community.
Craig Meador:Yeah. I, I, I fully expect that to what Anne and Paul have already talked about, but within a short time of this opening up and people coming in , um, and word gets out, at least the mu starting with the museum Community Directors of Museums everywhere, this is gonna become on their radars. Like, "you need to go see this space" and, and "you need to talk to these people. "Because they can tell you the high tech and low tech ways to make your space more accessible and inclusive. And I, I think that's just gonna start, that's gonna be a watershed moment. It's a , I know some of that's already happening , uh, conversations we've had with different museum groups already. They're saying, "oh my gosh, this is on our strategic roadmap even here locally." I've heard that from two museums here in town, that this is on their strategic plan , um, that they implemented two years ago. That they need to become more inclusive. They need to become an accessible museum. And they said, up until this point, we, we don't know how to start that. We don't know what to do. So we'll have a blueprint. We'll have a , a guidebook, a white paper on here's what you do, and here's how to, you know, how to build that support structure that will guide you through this process. And, and that'll just create this ripple effect, I think, not only in our country, but maybe worldwide. Um, so this'll become definitely a measuring stick that everybody will look at. And , and , um, so it's, it's kind of fun . You always hope that the projects and the things that take the most amount of your time and the most amount of your financial resources have more than just a short term effect. It's one thing to remodel a building and make a building look nice, that takes a lot of time. But within 10, within five years, the newness wears off, you know, and then it's, and within 10 years, all those , uh, fixtures and features you put into the museum become sort of dated. You can start to walk through and say, "oh, well , this was remodeled then." So this on the other hand, could and hopefully will have legs that last a lifetime and, and really will have an impact beyond the people who walk through this space. So, I mean, that's our hope. I mean, that, that's a nice legacy to, to walk away from a career in this field saying, I had a hand in that and was a part of that. And, you know, we, we had an impact because of, of our effort, our energy, and our resources going into creating that experience.
Sara Brown:All right . And Anne , it's been huge. It's been a, a really exciting year for The Monarch. Can you talk about the last few months, what's been going on and what's, what's happening in 2024?
Anne Lancaster:And I have at least three Monarch costumes hanging in my closet. So I could have done that <laugh> very easily because we've had a lot of celebrations , uh, this year over Monarch and, and well deserved because, you know, making the "Holy Braille," a reality, I think is something a lot of people thought would never happen, and it is here. So I think, you know, this whole year has just been a year of revelation because we've had the beta units, I think, you know, the year previous, we were looking at a pretty Frankensteinish prototype that we were taking around where everybody kind of said, well, yeah, that's cool, but can it really work? And this year we were able to show that it really works, and we were able to put it in the hands of a lot of adults. And , um, we were at NFB last summer, and we had dozens of adults try it out. And every time just the revelation that comes across people's face, the, the utterances that they have , um, some are just awe and wonder, and some I can't repeat here, you know, but , uh, just seeing, you know, and then that moment where everybody starts making a connection and saying, well, I could use this to do X at my job, or I could use this to read spreadsheets, or I could do this to do my computer programming work. Those, those moments where everybody starts thinking of ideas for Monarch that we've never thought of, that's pretty exciting. So right now we are in the middle of field testing. The Monarch is in 39 different schools across the country. We just hit the midpoint. Um , by the time you hear this podcast, we will have finished it. Uh , but it's an eight week very rigorous field testing where students are trying out multiple different aspects, and that's going really well. Early reports are that the students are catching on far quicker than the teachers, you know, which is what we wanted to hear, I think. But , um, but that's really great, and it's great to get that feedback and to hear, you know, different ideas for how it can be used in the classroom. So that's very cool. We also just kicked off a four-part Access Academy webinar series on tactile graphic fundamentals. And this is the first part of us trying to prepare teachers for this revolution that's coming. So it's just sort of an overview of just the tactile graphics basics. I think a lot of teachers have been used to teaching maybe 25 to 50 graphics a year. And with Monarch, their students are gonna have immediate access to tens of thousands of graphics. So , um, you know, brushing up on those fundamentals is pretty important. Uh, teachers are key to all of this. And so we are also right now asking teachers who are interested in learning the Monarch and getting a Monarch to try in their classrooms to apply for our teacher training program, which will start next year. We're looking for 200 teachers to participate in that, and after they receive a two day training, they'll have a monarch with them so they can start designing , uh, different classroom activities and lessons that they can share with the entire education community. So, so that's, it's been a very, very exciting year because , um, it's, it's happening <laugh> because it's actually happening. And, you know, there was, you know, when we started, I, I remember saying to Craig, "there's like a million different places this project could fail." And he said to me, "I'm not afraid of failing. I'm afraid of not trying." So , uh, it's really, you know, I appreciate his support because I don't think that anybody else would've had the guts to take this as far as it has, but it's very satisfying to see where it is right now.
Sara Brown:And then you have the Braille Trail, the Braille Trail, or the Highway to Braille. Where are we on that?
Anne Lancaster:So our Braille Roadmap really is part of this entire braille revolution that, that Monarch is included in. And, you know, I know everyone's been hearing about e Braille or the EBRF and a new standard for braille, and we're working with DAISY on that, and we should see that come to fruition early next year. Um, that's, that's something that's not just for Monarch, that's for every , uh, braille device that's out there. So that's gonna change a lot and make it so much easier for people to read, particularly very large , uh, voluminous text , uh, braille. So, so very excited about that. Um, you know, the Monarch, what we call the, the , the Braille Highway, or Flyway since <laugh> since President Mark Riccobono renamed it, the Monarch's, Braille Flyway is extensive. So we still have a lot of work to do there. We're creating different apps for the Monarch. We're gonna open up an SDK next year to programmers so that they can create apps for the Monarch. So just, you know, really extending and trying to create an environment where Braille can be used all the time and , uh, is accessible all the time. And , and that's , uh, gonna be an awful lot of work. We , we are really looking to have these available on quota and for sale by next summer, which is just a scary few months away at this point . <laugh> very scary, few months away. And , and we also hope to at least have them in the hands of a hundred students this year who are receiving their digital textbooks in the e brail format by this fall. So that is a huge undertaking, but it is an important foundation for where this goes. And, you know, that's, that's doesn't mean we're not thinking about other kinds of braille too , Monarch and , or not Monarch, but Mantis and Chameleon , um, just had their third birthday, if you can believe it. And so that means it's time to start thinking about what's next for those devices, particularly in light of the, the shift we see coming with Monarch. "How can they support that?" And , um, you know, and what other, you know, now that we know that multi-line is possible, you know, "do people want a two line Braille device or a three line Braille device?" We're talking about those things and trying to figure out where we should go next.
Paul Schroeder:And of course, we're looking at ways to train people, right? And get , get more braille , uh, training out there for people. Braille Brain, it's a a
Anne Lancaster:Oh yeah, yeah, just launched the Braille Brain, which is a very exciting new app for , uh, learning braille or brushing up on your braille skills. Um , we are really trying to build in all of this, this huge support system that really the bottom line is that there is a revolution of braille, that braille is accessible, that it's everywhere, that it's, it's easier to learn that , easier to use than ever before. And , um, that's, that's the goal.
Paul Schroeder:Yeah. I think, you know, at some level, right, we're laying down the marker that says , um, everyone, those who have said that braille is in decline are wrong. We're going to make sure that that is not true.
Sara Brown:You know, I like having you three on because it's such a variety of topics. We've got Craig, we've got Anne , we've got Paul. So Craig, you talk about APH, Anne is all about the Monarch, and Paul <laugh> , you've got your work cut out for you, though you're in D. C. And man...
Paul Schroeder:What , what more need be said, <laugh>. <laugh> .
Sara Brown:That's it right there . That's all we need to say. Um, there have been some unprecedented challenges facing our government this year . How has that impacted APH?
Paul Schroeder:Well , you know, it , it , we're, we're kind of laughing because if we weren't laughing, we'd be crying. <laugh> . Uh , you know, if you think about it as we were coming to Annual Meeting this year, right? The beginning of October, it looked very certain like there would be a shutdown of our federal government. And we've experienced these, unfortunately, with a little more frequency over the last 20 years. Um, and in fact, you know, our, our project officer couldn't come to APH because the, the shutdown was so likely that she had to pull her plans. And then , uh, that got averted. But of course, the speaker was , uh, then , uh, uh, voted do off , uh, voted down by his own party. Uh, and , and in part, and so, you know, by the middle of the week, we had this , this drama of there being knowhow speaker, and this is just the week of annual meeting and mm-hmm , <affirmative> , we went through the month of October with watching that drama unfold , uh, as , uh, a new house speaker was, was finally elected after four tries or whatever. Um , and so that has, you know, for people like us and so many others who need a functional government, we all need a functional government. But those of us who have an appropriation and are, are , uh, running a program that is funded that way , um, we, we, we need that stability , um, above all. And it's frustrating to be in this environment where we don't have that stability. APH is fortunate we can run, and we made clear, even going into that week that , um, had a shutdown down occurred, we would still be, you know, operating and quota would be operating, and we would be providing , uh, products. Well, you know, by the time this podcast airs between <laugh>, you know, if it , if it were 24 hours from now, we will , we wouldn't know what's going to happen. And we certainly don't know from the time we recorded this , uh, to , uh, when, when people are listening to it in their pod feed. So I, I won't even predict. We , we , we've got a, we've got a potential government shutdown right in the middle of that time as the continuing resolution , uh, that was passed right there at the end of September. Uh, runs out November runs out, or ran out, I guess November 17. So as we're speaking, I don't know what the, what is going to be the outcome. I think the expectation is there will be another continuing resolution, and we've seen those year after year after year , uh, where we don't finally know what the, what the actual budgeted number , uh, for APH or any other government program is going to be until , uh, December, sometimes as late as March. Uh, and I don't know this year , uh, what it'll be. So it's unprecedented. It's frustrating. It doesn't look good. Um, you know, I know nobody, nobody's happy with this. I don't think, you know, there might be a few members of Congress who like the chaos, but honestly, I don't believe that most do , um, most regardless, conservative or or liberal, don't want to see government work this way. And, and, you know, it's just unfortunate we can't get to agreement. All of that said , um, we're very fortunate at APH to have a very positive story to tell, to have , uh, I've never met anyone , uh, in the policymaking world, who doesn't immediately value what we do if they didn't know about it. And those who have had , uh, the fortune to learn a little bit more about APH uh, Congress or congressional staff, really value what we do. And they see this as a good government investment. So we're in a good position in that sense. Uh, but we're, you know, we're, we're at the, at the whims of these larger challenges in terms of getting to agreement between our, our current political parties and across that political divide. Um , the other thing I would say is that , um, we have taken some time this year to work more closely with the Department of Education and , uh, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services is the part of the Department of Education that APH is within. It's called the Special Institutions Area. Uh, but we've also reached out to the Office of Special Education Programs, which, you know , we haven't always talked with as much, and that's the more traditional Special Ed. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act implementer part of the government. So we've been trying to help them understand what we do and how we contribute to overall special education , um, in this country. And APH does play a big role in that area, even though we don't , uh, we we're not technically funded through the special education part of the department. So that's been a lot of, of, of fun. It's been important. Uh, we were able to show Monarch to some of the leadership , uh, there. And I think, you know, that's been , uh, a good , uh, way to get people's interest. And then we can talk about all the other great things we do at APH as well and how that contributes to, to special education. So, you know, lots of opportunities for message. Uh, we just need a , we just need a functional government <laugh>.
Anne Lancaster:I had the opportunity to go with Paul to Congress several times this last year , uh, specifically for Monarch , but we also talked about all things APH, and it just so impressed me that there is no partisan politics when it comes to what people feel about what a PH is doing. I mean, no matter what side of the aisle on it , we're doing good things and getting a good bang for the buck, basically. You know, it's a great investment in the future of many, many people, and they all seem to understand that. But what I will say is all politics are still local, and everybody wants to hear from the students and the teachers that are benefiting from a PH in their states. And so, you know, we are so appreciative whenever people just tell their story , um, to, to those folks in Congress, because that's what they want to hear. They want to know how it's affecting them. I mean, one of the tricks we learned very early on was show them your state on the Monarch in <laugh> in a tactile format, because that's just how locally focused they are.
Paul Schroeder:Yeah, I started, I started , uh, uh, taking to , uh, loading in the state flags from our Tactile Graphics Library, which by the way is a , a great , uh, resource for people to use. And don't forget that we have it at APH. It's a wonderful thousands of files of, of image files, of various graphics. Anyway, a lot of the state, almost all the state flags are in that , uh, library. Uh, and some of them show well on the Monarchs. Some of them are a little too busy , uh, for, for that format. Um , which is all the more reason why we need to have filters and other things to , uh, make the graphics , uh, work really well on the Monarch. But it was, it's been fun because some, sometimes they really are able to recognize, and I don't know, people are delighted when they can figure out what the, what the graphic is on the Monarch outside of people that is.
Anne Lancaster:<laugh>. Yep .
Sara Brown:So when you were testifying, can you talk about what you were, what you were doing... The point we obviously know, was to , to showcase the Monarch, but talk about just a little bit more about that and what was the outcome or was what was the goal that?
Paul Schroeder:So the, we, we were able, we , we really, we really were fortunate that we were chosen to be one of the organizations to provide what's called Public Testimony. Um, each of the Appropriations Subcommittees, there are 12 of them , and each of them does , uh, some form of, you know , uh, uh, I think they all do, getting public input , uh, on what the, what they fund. And ours happens to be Labor, health and human services and education. So it's those three departments. So they hear from the departments, they hear from each of those secretaries, but they also take a little bit of time to hear from , uh, people who represent the programs funded under those agencies. So I think there were 17 selected . And if you think about Health and Human Services, labor and education, those are huge departments that have programs everywhere in the United States that are funded. And for us to be selected as one of the 17, for all three of those agencies to be able to testify , um, was really a , a , a great statement to , um, the, the, the impact that APH has that is so far in a way above the level of funding that we get , um, many other people testifying. We're representing various , uh, diseases and , uh, university centers and things of that nature. Uh, so there was a real wide variety of folks who testified, but I was very , um, kind of insistent , uh, that we do that a lot of times people don't, don't necessarily take those public opportunities. And I really felt like it was important for APH to , um, have the opportunity to showcase what we do and to get , uh, to , to , to be seen in , in that environment. And , um, again, I think having, having something to show , um, those who watch the testimony will know everyone else was reading from paper and, you know, did or did a good job or less good job, depending on their skills. But , uh, we had something to show. We had some hardware , uh, we had a real device. And I, I think that made a , a huge difference. Um, and I know that the subcommittee staff who paid close attention to this , uh, work were there and listening, and obviously the chairman of the subcommittee and the ranking Democratic member, and of course , uh, Congressman Hoyer, who was a , a long time leader and a , uh, the author of the Americans of Disabilities Act, one of the authors, so he's been around Congress for a while , was there, and a couple of other members came in and out during that time. So we really had a chance to , um, showcase what we were doing. Um, and I'll, I'll just give a funny little comment because I, I did hold up the Monarch, of course, as I was speaking. And there, there wasn't a moment of fear that I was gonna drop it <laugh>. And , uh, it , it , it came a little close, closer than I wanted, than I can admit. I can admit it now , uh, where, where I had a kind of awkward angle on it. And of course , uh, later my daughter, when she was watching on YouTube, she's like, that was great, daddy, but you held up the device like a blind man. And I thought, well, okay , <laugh> , what would be the right way to do that? Hannah <laugh> ,
Anne Lancaster:You know, interesting little backstory there. Paul had one of the very first beta units for that testimony, and I think you'd had it maybe a few days, right?
Paul Schroeder:Yeah. Not long <laugh>.
Anne Lancaster:So , so we are, you know, back home at APH watching every single testimony waiting for Paul to come on. I mean, I was sick to my stomach and crossing my fingers and my toes, "let the thing turn on." "Please let Paul be able to work it", and <laugh> , and it just went beautifully. It went better than we ever could have dreamed. But , uh, I think you even made a joke about that, Paul, that we were all nervous about you handling the technology.
Paul Schroeder:It's true. Yeah. I actually had the testimony on The Monarch, so I was able to read from it.
Anne Lancaster:Did you really? That's so
Paul Schroeder:Cool . I did . Yeah.
Sara Brown:No, it was an awesome job. And I'll be sure to put a link to the testimony in the Show Notes for this podcast, too, so everybody can go back and, and watch or listen to it. Bcause you did an awesome job. You did an awesome job with that . And I remember just seeing the emails, and I'm watching it , watching it at work too, was with bated breath.
Anne Lancaster:<laugh>
Sara Brown:Like everybody else was.
Paul Schroeder:I, it , I think , uh, we have a team of folks that we work with in D.C., A firm , uh, that, that does this kind of stuff day in and day out. And they, they were kind of skeptical about public witness testimony and when we were done , uh, and I, and I, because I'd insisted to them now , "I think we should take a shot . I think we should take a shot at it." So when we were done, the , the guy that was one of the members of the firm who was with me, he's like, :yeah, you were absolutely right. That , you know, that really made a difference here." And because it was so different than anybody else that was testifying again, I think, you know, all credit to APH, I just, I just was the messenger.
Anne Lancaster:Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> .
Sara Brown:Alright , so construction, Monarch <laugh> in D. C. and antics. What are your final thoughts before we wrap this podcast? Is there anything else you wanna share or talk about or share your thoughts and hopes for 2024 and beyond?
Anne Lancaster:Well, all of these projects are huge, huge life changing projects, really. But they're not the only things that we have happening right . Next year you'll also see , uh, a brand new , uh, desktop magnifier coming out with new technology that no one's seen before. We're super excited about that. You know, we did release the Polys this year and cannot keep up with the demand. So keeping up with the demand for the polys and seeing what having Braille literacy products in, in the early classrooms, you know , um, uh, that's, that's, I'm really looking forward to seeing that. And, you know, there's just, there's a lot of important things happening. It's not that any one thing is any more important that the others , some of these , some of these more high profile, but it's a lot, it's a lot of balls to juggle, but it's all just , uh, it's all coming together unbelievably, but it's all coming together.
Paul Schroeder:One of the things that , um, I didn't mention in kind of the year in review, and it'll continue and , and grow next year, I hope, and that's our Center for Assistive Technology training. It's, it's, it's been a bit of a bumpy road , uh, as that's moved along. But one of the great things that happened in 23 was the ability to expand that program. So that program began with our partnership with the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind , uh, and with AIDB, we have now worked to cover other regions. So it started in the southeast region in all those states. And we now , uh, we're able to expand that into the southwest and northwest regions of the country. Um, and we're, we're beginning to really see how that's having an impact on training folks , uh, teachers , uh, individuals involved in , in the education of our students on the assistive technology products that we make at APH. So we, we put a lot of time and effort in these products. And sometimes , um, what's missing is that opportunity for the educators to learn what they do, how to use them effectively, how to make sure their students are using 'em effectively. So that's been a, a really nice partnership , um, that, as I said it , you know, it's traveled down a , a , a bit of a bumpy path, but I think it's really now beginning to show , uh, the fruits of that work and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully we'll be able to , um, expand that into the rest of the country , uh, before too much longer so we can get good, solid APH AT (assistive tech) training elsewhere.
Anne Lancaster:And those programs are key to the Monarch teacher training that we talked about earlier , uh, that, that, you know, we are so fortunate to have that infrastructure already in place to begin all of these regional trainings of teachers, and it would've been a much, much bigger job had we not had the CATT programs.
Paul Schroeder:The other thing , um, I'm, I'm pushing to keep expanding our , the Prison Braille program that is , uh, supported by APH but is used heavily by , uh, most of the states in this country have a , a program where , uh, in prison braille is being transcribed and produced in large print often too , in tactile graphics. Uh, and so that's, you know, that's really a pretty key part of the ecosystem of delivering , uh, materials. And , uh, we're, we're hoping to ex expand those programs because they're, they're wonderfully successful. They're also wonderfully successful as creating op for creating opportunities for , uh, ex-offenders upon release who have these great braille skills and now can put them to use a business.
Craig Meador:Oh, there's a big part of me that just wants to flip the page and be at the end of 2024, so we can see all this stuff come to fruition. But I think it's tiredness speaking. Um, no, I mean, I think the main thing, and it's, it's, we've got good momentum going , um, and that feels really good. The fact that we're not going it alone feels really, really good that we have, I I believe not just through our efforts, but the energy that other agencies have brought to these ideas that we're doing with EBRF and Monarch and other, you , you know, I, there's a few detractors, but that means you, you've hit a nerve and that's good. Uh, but for the most part, people are excited and people, so we're feeding off that energy. Um, we're hoping the momentum keeps going. Um, and I think probably the biggest struggle I have, and I I , I know Paul and Anne suffer from this, it , it's always like, "well, what's next?" "What's next?" And "what's, what's the, what's next?" And, and so we have just been able and kind of cautioning our own selves saying, it's okay to just let this be enough right now. Let's skip these 3, 4, 5 big things , um, going more solidly. Um, but, you know, we're talking today, it's like, "hey, as soon as we get a firm budget, let's talk about expanding regional programs." "Hey, as soon as we get this going, what's the next product we're, we're going to launch?" Um , and you know, and so I, I think there'll always, that's just part of who we are, the team we've developed here at APH. We're always looking to innovate and improve, make things better , um, which makes this such a satisfying place to work. But I, I think we also , uh, there will be some times where we will give ourselves a chance just to sit back for a while, catch our breath and say, okay, you know, because it's not that the , the world doesn't need something new, but I think it's, well, maybe it's is they just need time to get familiar with the things that we we're releasing out there. But one of our big efforts is , uh, and Paul and I have talked about this, but this will be a whole team effort again, is we still would like to reconnect all the dots in our field. Um, COVID, we saw so many agencies, and I, and I get it , uh, agencies and companies basically had to do this inward reflection of let's take care of ourselves, which is the smart, prudent thing to do. But I, I think now that we're a couple years be beyond that, I would love to see all these agencies that used to be more connected, reconnect. And I really feel that's part of a p h's responsibility is to reach out, try to connect, bring people back to the bigger conversations. Um, not only bring them back, but give them a place at the table and, and say, we really need you as we move forward with EBRF. You know, whether you wanna use Monarch or some other device, you know, let's, let's focus, or, you know, we need to do some more on training. We need to do some more on , um, advocacy, or we need to do some more on insert whatever might be here. But we've got this opportunity to reconnect a lot of these agencies. So I really, I think that'll be part of our efforts over the next few years, is making sure that everyone feels like they are connected and they have a place at the table.
Sara Brown:All right . Thank you all so much for coming on and talking to me about all the exciting things going on in this year and then , and hopefully the next year.
Craig Meador:Thank you, Sarah .
Paul Schroeder:Sure.
Anne Lancaster:Thank Sara.
Sara Brown:Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers . I have put links in the Show Notes on some of the topics discussed during this podcast, such as the Braille Metamorphosis. It's gonna give you a little bit more information about The Monarch and everything that's going on with that, as well as Paul Schroeder's testimony. There's a link in there for that so you can go and watch. And Anne mentioned his Highway to Braille performance. I found a clip on YouTube for that as well. So be sure to check the Show Notes. Again, thank you so much for listening to this episode of Change Makers . As always, be sure to look for ways you can be a change maker this week, and I'll see you in the new year.