Objective
The Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is conducting research to evaluate the implementation of communication training in the real-world community. The purpose of the study is to evaluate an online communication partner training program designed to help improve communication during business interactions between employees and customers with communication disabilities.
Business owners or employees who qualify for this research study will:
- Participate in an online communication training program that will take approximately 20 minutes
- Complete brief online surveys before and after the training program, and again after 4 weeks
- Potentially be invited to participate in an online interview to provide feedback about the training program
Persons with a communication disability who qualify for this research study will:
- Identify and engage with businesses in your community whose employees could benefit from communication training
- Participate in vision, hearing, and communication assessments
- Complete surveys and interviews to provide feedback about your experiences related to this research study and your interactions with business employees
- Be compensated for participation
Who Can Participate
We are looking for two groups of participants:
Business Owners or Employees
- At least 21 years of age
- Own a business in the community or have worked in a business serving customers for at least 3 months
Persons with a Communication Disability
- At least 21 years of age
- Have a communication disability (aphasia, apraxia of speech, or dysarthria) related to a diagnosis of aphasia, Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson’s Disease, or traumatic brain injury
- At least 6 months post-onset of communication disability diagnosis
Age Range
21 - 99
