Hearing impaired persons' experiences with the online Swedish Individualized Active Communication Education (I-ACE) program: A feasibility study

Abstract

Even with optimally fitted hearing aids, many individuals with hearing impairment struggle to hear in situations with difficult listening conditions. Active Communication Education (ACE) is an interactive group rehabilitation program aimed at helping people with hearing loss communicate more effectively using communication strategies to better cope with everyday life. To increase accessibility and allow more people to benefit from the ACE program, a modified individualized version was created. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of providing the Swedish Individualized Active Communication Education (I-ACE) program via an online platform and to explore hearing impaired persons' experiences with the program. For five weeks, ten participants completed the Swedish I-ACE through an online platform. The participants were assigned a new chapter to complete each week and later received individual feedback on their work via the platform. The participants were asked to complete an evaluation form regarding the content and their experiences during and after completing the I-ACE. They were later interviewed to provide more detailed information on their experiences with the program. The program completion rate was 80 %. Participants found the I-ACE program to be informative and relevant but somewhat repetitive. However, only a few participants thought of the repetitiveness as negative. Few participants reported difficulties using the platform. This study indicated that it is feasible to provide the I-ACE program via an online platform and that the content of the program is informative, relevant, and comprehensible. Further research evaluating the effects of the I-ACE is warranted.

Keywords

• I-ACE
• eHealth
• Hearing loss
• Aural rehabilitation
• Communication strategies