BrightSign Glove, a Teaching Assistant’s feedback
Supporting staff and students to achieve their full potential since 1968.
Welcome to our weekly CENMAC blog post.
BrightSign Glove – by Mary Long, CENMAC Advisory Teacher
An interview with a TA working with a student in Year 3.
Student ‘T’, who has a hearing impairment and speech and language difficulties, has been using the glove since October 2020 and has managed to make good use of it so far. However, progress was interrupted by absences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and now ‘T’ is at home and unable to make use of it, so he will begin again with it when schools re-open.
His friends all took an interest when he was using it and I would explain that it was his ‘magic glove’
What were your first impressions of the glove?
I was really impressed with it actually, to think that glove could do what it does and how it connects to the iPad.
Did you experience any difficulties with T using it?
Yes, because he goes at 100 miles an hour with everything and sometimes he would go so fast that the glove couldn’t keep up with him. There was sometimes an issue with him putting the glove on and not wanting to use it.
How did you get over the difficulties?
By putting the glove on myself and also letting him demonstrate to other people in the school how it worked. He liked this and it made it feel like he was in charge of it and that it was something special.
How often have you used the glove?
A couple of times a week since October 2020 but then there has been lots of disruption with the pandemic. The best time for him was on a Friday but I showed him the glove everyday to see whether he felt like using it.
What was the best part about using it?
When the communication was correct he loved that – his little face would light up and he really enjoyed demonstrating to other people that he could sign the correct words.
What would be the next steps for him in using the glove?
Using it a lot more and a lot more with his peers and with adults. His friends all took an interest when he was using it and I would explain that it was his ‘magic glove’ and they would ask him to sign something simple like dog or cat.
What would make using the glove better or easier for T?
The fit of the glove, as it is too big, he found it hard to understand why he couldn’t see his fingers, but when an adult put the glove on it was a much better fit for them. It was sometimes hard to supervise him with all the extra bits and wires on the outside of the glove because he was constantly fiddling with it. Maybe it would be better to incorporate these parts so they are less visible.
Final words on using the glove so far?
I found it fascinating and a really wonderful gift for children to be able to communicate and for others to understand what they are saying.
Thank you for taking time to give us your thoughts and feedback on the BrightSign Glove.
To find out more about BrightSign visit:
www.brightsignglove.com
I found it fascinating and a really wonderful gift for children to be able to communicate
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