"It's ok, mom. I got it!": Exploring the experiences of young adults with intellectual disabilities in a postsecondary program affected by the COVID-19 pandemic from their perspective and their families' perspective.

Students' resilience in a postsecondary program for individuals with an intellectual disability impacted by the COVID-19 disruption and the challenges they faced during this time was captured in the context of social network analysis interviews that included students' and families' experiences as they managed the pandemic. Students' experiences spoke to their resilience in using the skills they gained through the program to navigate the COVID-19 disruption even though it was sometimes tricky. Parents' experiences revealed their increased confidence and sense of pride in their adult children when they observed growth in independence, self-determination, and familiarity with technology. Innovative and engaging instructional practices and e-mentoring support offered by peer mentors motivated students in their academics and encouraged their social development during this time. Student and parent experiences offer hope that young adults with an intellectual disability can gain skills in a postsecondary program that better prepares them to meet life's challenges.

Improving Acceptance of Background Noise with Sound Enrichment.

BACKGROUND: Acceptance of background noise serves as a means to predict likelihood of hearing aid success. Individuals that are able to accept background noise are more likely to be successful with hearing aids. PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of sound enrichment on the acceptable noise level (ANL). STUDY SAMPLE: Nineteen young adult participants served as listeners. Participants were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. RESEARCH DESIGN: An experimental design with random assignment to experimental or control group was used. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: One group used sound enrichment procedures for 2 weeks, whereas the other group served as a control group. Sound enrichment procedures required that participants add low-level background sound to any quiet environment encountered during the study. Most comfortable listening level (MCL) and background noise level (BNL) were measured at three sessions, each 1 week apart (baseline, after 1 week of treatment, and after 2 weeks of treatment). RESULTS: Analytical statistics revealed that ANL improved for the sound enrichment group but remained the same for the control group. For both groups, there was no significant change in MCL across sessions. However, for the experimental group, BNL improved (increased) over the 2-week period while using sound enrichment. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study indicate that ANL can be improved with the use of sound enrichment procedures over a 2-week period. Future work should examine the use of sound enrichment procedures for older adults with hearing loss.