The Aural Rehabilitation Lab at the University of Connecticut

We CARE - Committed to Auditory Rehabilitation and Education The Aural Rehabilitation Lab focuses on the patient or family-centered care (PCC) model.

In PCC, hearing care teams strive to know and treat the individual through active collaboration and shared decision-making with patients and family members. We endeavor to develop individualized, comprehensive hearing healthcare plans which may include hearing devices along with community supports, educational programs, or perceptual training. The primary goal of our work is to improve individual

hearing healthcare outcomes. Mission (Who We Are)

The Aural Rehabilitation Lab is an inclusive community dedicated to innovation and excellence in research, scholarship, and community engagement for individuals with hearing loss and their families. We welcome all students, community partners, and researchers who share an interest in promoting patient-centered hearing healthcare. Core Values (What We Value)

Integrity: Being honest and ethical in all interactions. We believe in maintaining the highest ethical standards in research and community engagement and service. Inclusiveness and diversity: Embracing and taking responsibility to support diversity and equity. We believe we are not bystanders in this process. We must take an active role in changing behaviors. We have zero tolerance for discrimination or exclusion on the basis of disability, race, ethnicity, religion (creed), culture and language, sex, gender expression, LGBTQIA+ identity, age, national origin (ancestry), marital/partner/family status, or socio-economic status. Responsiveness: Being receptive to individuals and communities. We believe a responsive team member will be sensitive to the needs of others, be perceptive – listening and trying to understand the viewpoints of others even if they differ from our own, and be attuned – show empathy recognizing that we all travel a unique personal journey. Interdisciplinary collaboration: Sharing unique insights on an overarching theme. We believe that collaborative teams foster the evolution of ideas and enhance the quality of outcomes of hearing healthcare for patients. We value members from the broad communities that support individuals with hearing differences. Collegiality: Engaging others with respect, openness, and trust. We strive to create a laboratory where all are welcomed, all are seen, and all are known. Accountability: Accepting responsibility for achieving goals and objectives. We believe that changing behaviors requires clear accountability. All team members are responsible for their actions, behaviors, performance and decisions.

01/14/2026

New Publication Alert! The AR Lab is excited to share our latest publication exploring listening effort in adults with hearing loss through a patient-centered lens highlighting patient perspectives to better understand the real-world effort of listening effort.

https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2025_JSLHR-25-00266

Photos from The Aural Rehabilitation Lab at the University of Connecticut's post

09/25/2025

The HLAA Eastern CT Chapter kicked off our fall meeting with a rousing discussion about access to hearing services. Our guest speaker, Kaminski from Humelan Hearing (https://www.humelan.com/) shared how personalized education, coaching, and supportive resources can help individuals navigate their hearing loss journey. We also saw the latest in caption glasses in action! Such a great group of individuals showing community support in action. We meet the third Saturday of the month at 10 AM EST - new attendees are always welcome.

09/06/2025

The Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology (ARA) has long been one of my favorite professional meetings. Our team will highlight research on community-engaged learning and family education reflecting our commitment to promoting inclusive, patient-centered care. Looking forward to learning, collaborating, and amplifying voices at ARA 2025.

09/02/2025

New Publication Alert! We’re excited to share our latest article on integrating lived experiences into audiology education. By bringing the voices of individuals with hearing loss into the classroom, students gain not only knowledge but also a deeper understanding of the human side of hearing health.

This work shows how community-engaged learning fosters empathy, reflection, and more patient-centered care.

Read more here: Cienkowski, K. & Eberts, S. (2025). Integrating Lived Experiences into Audiology Education to Bridge the Empathy Gap. Transformative Social Impact: A Journal of Community-Based Teaching and Research, 1(2). doi.org/10.70175/socialimpactjournal.2025.1.2.4

Bringing the Patient Voice Into Audiology Education

08/01/2025

Exciting to share my first podcast experience and to also spread the word about my collaboration with Eberts on community engaged learning.

Bringing the Patient Voice Into Audiology Education What happens when audiology students learn directly from people living with hearing loss?In this episode, Shari Eberts talks with Dr. Kathleen Cienkowski, au...

05/07/2025

Congratuations to lab member, Katharine Cartwright, for making her professional debut presenting at the XII International Hearing Rehabilitation conference. What a great meeting to get inspired for all things related to adult AR!

Community-Engaged Learning: A Promising New Pathway in Audiology Student Education

04/24/2025

Bringing community stakeholders into audiology education offers valueable insights for students. Read more about our colloaboration with Shari Eberts &beyond

Community-Engaged Learning: A Promising New Pathway in Audiology Student Education Could community-engaged learning increase students' empathy for and understanding of the lived hearing loss experience?

04/21/2025

Spring semester has been busy for the young scholars of the AR Lab. Congratulations to our student presenters sharing their work -- Kayla Hart at Audiology Now and Aaron Herrera and Sarah Perrotta at UCONN Frontiers in Undergraduate Research. We're so proud of all that they have accomplished. Well done!

Photos from Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at the University of Connecticut's post

04/17/2025

The AR Lab was featured on the SLHS pages. Thanks for the shout out! We are fortunate to work with a great group of students and colleagues.

04/15/2025

🌟 Join us at Frontiers in Undergraduate Research 2025!
Come explore the amazing work of AR Lab student researchers as they present projects focused on community engagement and accessibility.

📍 Wilbur Cross North Reading Room, Storrs Campus
🗓️ Wednesday, April 16
⏰ 2:00–3:30 PM

🎓 Support emerging scholars and learn how research is making a real-world impact!

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Storrs

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Website

https://aural.rehab.uconn.edu/

Address

2 Alethia Drive U-1085
Storrs, CT

The Aural Rehabilitation Lab at the University of Connecticut

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