Integrating Lived Experiences into Audiology Education to Bridge the Empathy Gap

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Integrating Lived Experiences into Audiology Education to Bridge the Empathy Gap
Authors: Kathleen Cienkowski, Shari Eberts
Source: Transformative Social Impact, Vol 1, Iss 2, Pp 1-8 (2025)
Publisher Information: HCI Academic Press, 2025.
Publication Year: 2025
Collection: LCC:Theory and practice of education
Subject Terms: person-centered care, community-engaged learning, audiology education, patient narratives, experiential learning, Theory and practice of education, LB5-3640
Description: Community-engaged learning (CEL) offers a unique opportunity to bring the lived experience of hearing loss into the classroom, enhancing empathy and the implementation of person-centered care(PCC) among audiology students. This paper describes an initiative at the University of Connecticut that integrated CEL into an advanced hearing aids course. Students engaged with patient narratives through the book Hear & Beyond and attended a community meeting hosted by Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). Reflections demonstrated enhanced awareness of real-world challenges and a renewed commitment to PCC. This pilot project offers a model for incorporating CEL into audiology education to improve hearing care outcomes.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 3066-8239
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/3066-8239
DOI: 10.70175/socialimpactjournal.2025.1.2.4
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/5ee0741cfe6d40bbbc2474f47aa0fbcc
Accession Number: edsdoj.5ee0741cfe6d40bbbc2474f47aa0fbcc
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
Description
Abstract:Community-engaged learning (CEL) offers a unique opportunity to bring the lived experience of hearing loss into the classroom, enhancing empathy and the implementation of person-centered care(PCC) among audiology students. This paper describes an initiative at the University of Connecticut that integrated CEL into an advanced hearing aids course. Students engaged with patient narratives through the book Hear & Beyond and attended a community meeting hosted by Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). Reflections demonstrated enhanced awareness of real-world challenges and a renewed commitment to PCC. This pilot project offers a model for incorporating CEL into audiology education to improve hearing care outcomes.
ISSN:30668239
DOI:10.70175/socialimpactjournal.2025.1.2.4