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Shelley Gladden is a Grant Coordinator at Oklahoma ABLE Tech, the state’s Assistive Technology Act Program funded by the Administration for Community Living at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While her primary role is the financial loan program for consumers to purchase hearing assistive technology (HAT), Shelley assists in numerous aspects of ABLE Tech, including the demonstration and loan program, fire safety grant, state department of education contract, and is a hearing support specialist to consumers, teachers, and professionals. Shelley also serves as a statewide trainer for the Network of Consumer Hearing Assistive Technology Trainers (N-CHATT), the volunteer train-the-trainer program supporting the successful integration of HAT at home, work, school, and in the community.

1. What drew you to a career helping people with hearing loss?

   
   “Hearing loss is hereditary in my family; my aunt has two cochlear implants. The day I learned of my early onset of hearing loss, I became a knowledge-seeker and an advocate to take away the stigma of hearing loss. My proactive approach persuaded my mom and my older sister to seek hearing assistance, and they too are both now wearing hearing aids.  Being proactive plays a significant role in my career as I assist other individuals to gain information, resources, and overcome fears of embracing the technology to help them gain – or maintain – independence with hearing loss.”

2. The theme for National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October this year was “America’s Workforce: Empowering All” – how do you think N-CHATT helps support a more inclusive workforce?

   
   “N-CHATT helps educate and inform consumers and peers with hearing loss on HAT that can assist them gaining, or maintaining, independence in their desired environment, including the workforce.”

3. Through your work, you’ve likely participated in or are familiar with many training programs. What makes N-CHATT unique?

   
   “N-CHATT is unique because it allows for the application of the trainer’s personal connection and experience using HAT. When you can give real-life experiences and examples, along with practical education and solutions, as well as demonstrate how easily HAT can level the playing field, it has a much greater impact.”

4. Have you had any standout experiences in training consumers and professionals who work with consumers with hearing loss?

   
   “At Oklahoma ABLE Tech, we are charged with improving access to and acquisition of assistive technology for individuals with disabilities. This includes training across the large spectrum of children, adults, and seniors in improving access to and knowledge of assistive technology and its uses. A large part of our contract services include training the State Department of Education on assistive technology in the classroom and beyond. We are reaching great numbers of special education professionals and helping them prepare their students with a variety of disabilities to be successful in their future endeavors with the use of assistive technology—whether that is continuing their educational pursuits, employment, or other community involved activities.”

5. What are the benefits of HAT from the working individual’s perspective?

   
   “HAT is a game-changer and absolutely necessary to stay in an active and competitive work environment. From all aspects of daily function – telecommunications, meetings, professional development, peer relations – to a larger scale of being on equal levels for job enhancement and career growth. I absolutely could not do what I am doing today without the use of both hearing aids and related assistive technology to improve my daily communications.”

6. What types of HAT are most in demand in the workforce setting?

   
   “I see the continuous need for HAT assistance with telephone use, team meetings, continuing education (hearing in the large conference/classroom environment), and computer accessibility as it relates to video conferencing, virtual meetings, webinars, captioning, etc.”

Captioning rules for TV are straightforward. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Internet captioning, due to a plethora of special cases and exemptions that have been carved out. Prerecorded programming, live programming, and clips are all treated differently; it also matters when a video was first posted on the Internet, and when it last was shown on TV.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the agency responsible for enforcing the rules for Internet captioning. This process is primarily driven by consumer complaints. If you see a captioning problem, the first step is to figure out whether it is covered under the law and/or rules. The RERC has developed a flowchart to assist you in determining the legal situation. This flowchart was initially distributed in April 2016, under the Development of a Consumer Model for a Technology-Focused Train-the-Trainer Program. It has been updated to take the most recent captioning deadlines into account. We wish to thank Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden for his assistance in producing an accessible version.

View the flowchart:

• Single page static flowchart (PPT)
• Step-by-step interactive flowchart (accessible PPT)

Cochlear Implant Skills Review (CISR) is a new assessment measure developed by Enhanced Aural Rehabilitation for Adult Cochlear Implant Users via Telerehab Technology investigators Bernstein and Brewer, in collaboration with Hume and Presley, to be used clinically to evaluate a patient’s demonstrated skill and knowledge with their cochlear implant. The CISR was modeled on the Practical Hearing Aid Skills Test-Revised (PHAST-R) developed by Desjardins & Doherty (2012). The CISR can be used as a key assessment tool to help clinicians better evaluate the cochlear implant (CI) user’s understanding and demonstrated skills in using their technology. This, in turn, can serve as a guide for training, counseling, and rehabilitation with the CI user so that they can achieve maximum benefit from their CI.

Benefits of the CISR

For the CI user, the CISR can aid in the development and mastery of these skills which is central to confidence and success with technology. Training in areas where skills or knowledge are needed improve self-confidence and skills to manage the use of their implant and facilitate self-efficacy. In all, it can serve to help optimize the benefits from the CI.

For clinical professionals, the CISR will be an excellent pre and post assessment measure and guide not only for CI Audiologists, but also Speech Language Pathologists who work with CI users, as well as doctoral students to guide their counseling and rehabilitation work with patients, and Audiologists who do not work with CIs regularly. It can be used in its entirety or in modular format since it is comprised of 6 sub categories which address basic skills.

Future Research Needs for the CISR

While the CISR is available for immediate clinical use, we are still refining the measure and it will require a full validation study before it receives widespread clinical use. The test-retest reliability of the CISR needs to be assessed with a large n of at least 50 adults with cochlear implants for publication of this assessment measure. It is currently in use, however, as part of our assessment protocol in our telerehabilitation study at the following clinical sites: Columbia University Medical Center, University of Maryland College Park, University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences, Gallaudet University, and the Cleveland Clinic.

View the tool and related resources:

• Cochlear Implant Skills Review Tool (PDF)
• CISR Kanso Sample Answer Key (DOC)
• Clinician script for CISR, used in Inter-rater reliability pilot study (DOC)