[Athen] Dot Pad X

[David Schwarte via athen-list]

Hello Emily,

One of the students I work with has a DotPad.  The student does find it helpful.  A few things to note:

The DotPad primarily works with IOS (iPad and iPhone).  Other’s milage may vary, but there are a lot of services at my institution that don’t work on a tablet platform.

JAWS and NVDA do provide some support for the DotPad, but for text and not graphics.  There are probably some advantages in having a multi-line Braille display, but I don’t think this is clear-cut right now.  The Monarch works with JAWS and NVDA similar to the DotPad, so there is some effort to expand the usage of these types of devices.

The resolution will be similar to using a Braille embosser for creating graphics, since the DotPad, Monarch etc., have essentially the same dot distance as a Braille display.  The one major advantage is that the dynamic devices can be zoomed.  The user can view the overall image and then zoom in on various areas of interest.  The concept would be similar to using a small screen to view complex images. The larger issue seems to be that the dots are either up or down.  There is no easy way to display greyscale.

There seem to be four devices in this area:  DotPad, Monarch, Graphiti, and Cadence.

We have recently purchased a Cadence for loan to students.  In our case the use cases included: providing the student a way to view graphs the student was required to create for homeworks, viewing shared drawings, such as CAD technical drawings, groupwork with shared graphics etc.  At this time the various devices seem to have different ideas of how they would be used, so we selected a device, based on what things our students could not do with currently available technology or services.  We are researching how a device, such as the Cadence could be used independently by a student.  Of course, this will also be important in the work world, where the former-student will be responsible for being able to consume any graphical information required for the job.

Thanks,
David Schwarte


From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman22.u.washington.edu> On Behalf Of Emily Singer Lucio via athen-list
Sent: Friday, December 5, 2025 9:55 AM
To: normajean.brand <normajean.brand at hccs.edu>
Cc: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Dot Pad X

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Thank you for the feedback.


Respectfully,

Emily Singer Lucio She/Her/Hers
ADA Coordinator
University of Maryland, College Park
Belonging and Community
0112 Lee Building
7809 Regents Drive
College Park MD 20742
Tel:301 405-2841 | Fax:301 314-9992
Email: eslucio at umd.edu<mailto:eslucio at umd.edu>
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“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.” — Stevie Wonder
Source: WeCapable


On Thu, Dec 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM normajean.brand <normajean.brand at hccs.edu<mailto:normajean.brand at hccs.edu>> wrote:
I was thinking the same thing, Kamran, when I first learned of the Dot Pad X.

It appears to be exciting new technology also being developed by Humanware https://youtu.be/TJdMAk-hN3A?si=VxwH3XRE9pd2FXX7 https://www.humanware.com/microsite/monarch/index.php

However, since I’m sighted/low vision, and don’t read Braille or need the tactile (yet), I’m not sure if it would be something usable in a post-secondary environment.

If anyone has tested the Monarch by Humanware, I’d love to know your thoughts.

NJ Brand (she/her/hers)
[Website] www.hccs.edu<https://www.hccs.edu/>  Counseling & Ability Services<https://www.hccs.edu/support-services/counseling/>   AssitiveTech at HCCS<https://www.hccs.edu/support-services/ability-services/assistive-technology/>  Alternate Media Requests<https://www.hccs.edu/support-services/ability-services/alternate-media-request/>  Teaching & Learning Center for Innovation<https://www.hccs.edu/departments/division-of-instructional-services/teaching--learning-innovation/>

From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman22.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman22.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of Kamran Rasul via athen-list
Sent: Thursday, December 4, 2025 3:54 PM
To: 'Emily Singer Lucio' <eslucio at umd.edu<mailto:eslucio at umd.edu>>; 'Access Technology Higher Education Network' <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: Re: [Athen] Dot Pad X

[External Email Notice: This email is from outside the Houston City College. HCC will never use external email accounts to send confidential information, job opportunities, business/financial-related emails, or account password/expiration updates.]
Hi Emily,

According to this review, Dot Pad X: Multi-Line Braille & Tactile Graphics: Accessibility for the Blind and Visually Impaired<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REdE8SDoOJI>, it is best suited for simple images rather than the complex ones we typically find in post-secondary settings.

It looks promising and will continue to evolve to support more complex images down the line.

[cid:image002.png at 01DC65D5.646FA4F0]
Kamran Rasul, MEd.
Assistive Technology/Alternate Format Specialist (SDS)
Phone: 410-516-1167
E-mail: krasul1 at jhu.edu<mailto:krasul1 at jhu.edu>
Garland Hall, 1st Floor, Office 135-G
3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Schedule a meeting with Kamran<https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/ATC2@live.johnshopkins.edu/bookings/>

From: athen-list <athen-list-bounces at mailman22.u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list-bounces at mailman22.u.washington.edu>> On Behalf Of Emily Singer Lucio via athen-list
Sent: Thursday, December 4, 2025 4:40 PM
To: Access Technology Higher Education Network <athen-list at u.washington.edu<mailto:athen-list at u.washington.edu>>
Subject: [Athen] Dot Pad X


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Hi all.

Has anyone used this?  Just curious if this is worth looking into.

Dot Pad X<https://www.dotincorp.com/en/product/dotpadx>


Respectfully,

Emily Singer Lucio She/Her/Hers
ADA Coordinator
University of Maryland, College Park
Belonging and Community
0112 Lee Building
7809 Regents Drive
College Park MD 20742
Tel:301 405-2841 | Fax:301 314-9992
Email: eslucio at umd.edu<mailto:eslucio at umd.edu>
ADA Website: accessibility.umd.edu<http://accessibility.umd.edu/>
Report a Concern:  Disability Access Feedback and Concerns Form<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdDCugY2AaryXzrLgAqAF60-KVHZizQryozepxdEzOe-7QDpQ/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0> ( Also on the UMD app)
Sign up for the ADA Newsletter: Subscribe to the ADA Newsletter<https://mailchi.mp/97648624d43b/q07mkrxp6p>
Join the UMD Disability Google Group<http://umd-disability+subscribe@umd.edu/>
To schedule a training:  You can fill out our training form<https://diversity.umd.edu/training-education/training-consultation>
To request an interview: You can fill out our Interview Request Form<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzrFoDfp6sh5ZWAtAbYtJkajtY3ch30i827fLW3oUIQCLjsg/viewform>
Learn more about Disability Identity Language<https://shared.outlook.inky.com/link?domain=www.ahead.org&t=h.eJxFT9FugzAM_JWKibdCQqEVIE1qtVXab5jEkGghQYkRnabt25ewhz7YPt35TvZ3tnqT9YdMES2hZ2zbthIUgiydn9ji3YghaGfBFB6DW73AwEAIN89OAkUlsEBAOKOlwtnCgJ1WmPCl_-0JH_R6-7jf3vMTx3nwEN0RksLYN-dlHPn9lLc8796kDjBoo-nruEODSV7QLSatg5X_Vu1T2mNBr9HGwDI7HrLP9MR-OBPK60Da4vX5yCiHtmtEc-GiazlwFAJijedI8oGfWXXpeF0157oqeZ0CcQ8MCsdR43WdtVAlyjVJMklP5ucPWQNq1w.MEYCIQDHoNbSLBuHYHS5Zz8OiPYnmXYQnUUp4mCHd05ZT4oOlgIhAO8CP7WINQ-cUdnpZ7JAtcb3zbf5EZTsk96zxQ6fYoss>

“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.” — Stevie Wonder
Source: WeCapable
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