A peer mentor training program for aural rehabilitation

Abstract

This article describes a new training program at Gallaudet University that aims to prepare peer mentors to work under the supervision of hearing-health professionals in the area of aural rehabilitation (AR). The paucity of AR programs for consumers with hearing loss in the United States has been documented. The peer mentor training program is an attempt to harness the energies, skills, and knowledge of people with hearing loss; to expand them through a program of academic and experiential learning; and to put them to work in audiologic practices and other hearing-health care settings in order to improve the quality and quantity of AR available to consumers. A peer mentor training curriculum is described, and the current status of the educational program is reported. Initial anecdotal evidence suggests that the program has the potential to contribute to the development of a more comprehensive model of AR service delivery.