Dr. Lisa Dillon Edgett

About Me

Welcome! I am an aural rehabilitation audiologist, educator, and passionate advocate for the hearing loss community. For over two decades, my life’s work has centred on a single, vital mission: helping adults with hearing loss move beyond the limitations of technology and discover the tools, strategies, and confidence needed to live and communicate successfully.

My journey began in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where I grew up and earned my B.Sc. in Psychology and Linguistics at Memorial University in 1991. Driven by a deep interest in communication, I moved to Vancouver in the early 1990s and completed my M.Sc. in Audiology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1995. Early in my clinical training, I recognized a critical gap in traditional care. While hearing aids and cochlear implants are invaluable tools, technology alone cannot solve the complex social, psychological, and practical challenges of living with hearing loss.

To explore how individuals truly adapt and thrive, I pursued a Ph.D. in Audiology at UBC, completing my foundational dissertation, Help-seeking for advanced rehabilitation by adults with hearing loss, in 2002. This research laid the groundwork for my career and remains the guiding philosophy behind everything I teach.

My Philosophy & Research

At the core of my work is a model of Ecological Balance. Hearing loss does not occur in a vacuum; it impacts your identity, your relationships, and how you navigate the world every day.

Through qualitative research with adults navigating hearing loss, I developed a theoretical framework centered on five core pillars of the help-seeking and rehabilitation journey:

• Understanding Hearing Loss: Intellectually processing and coming to terms with a clinical diagnosis.

• Personal Experience: Honoring the daily, lived reality of navigating a world with diminished hearing.

• Societal Interaction: Addressing the friction, stigma, and support dynamics between the individual and society.

• Taking Action: Crossing the threshold from passive management (relying solely on hearing aids) to active communication training.

• Rehabilitation Reflection: Evaluating and refining strategies to ensure long-term personal utility and practical success.

Across these pillars run three recurrent themes that dictate a person's success: Identity (overcoming internal stigma), Challenge (identifying specific environments where communication breaks down), and Adjustment (learning practical behavioral changes to regain balance).

True rehabilitation isn't just about hearing better—it’s about connecting better.

The Curriculum: A Three-Tiered Approach to Living Successfully

Translating theory into real-world impact has been the cornerstone of my professional life. For more than 20 years, I developed and taught comprehensive adult aural rehabilitation courses at Vancouver Community College (VCC), centered around the multi-level Living Successfully with Hearing Loss curriculum.

My courses were structured to guide participants through a progressive journey—moving from foundational knowledge to guided practice, and ultimately, to real-world empowerment:

Level 1: Introductory — Foundations & Core Skills:

Establishes core knowledge and fundamental communication strategies. Key topics include:

• Speechreading: Developing visual cues to supplement auditory input.

• Communication Factors: Analyzing the key elements impacting communication (the environment, speaker, listener, and message).

• Repair Strategies & Assertiveness: Learning how to fix communication breakdowns constructively and advocate for your needs.

• Technology & Expectations: Navigating hearing assistive technology while setting realistic expectations and maintaining humor along the way.

Level 2: Intermediate — Practical Application & Guided Practice: 

Focuses on deepening personal awareness and practicing strategies across varied social and daily environments:

• Personal Awareness & Dynamics: Exploring assertive behavior, communication styles, and family dynamics.

• Social Circles: Navigating interactions with friends, social settings, strangers, and acquaintances.

• High-Stakes & Public Settings: Managing business, medical, emergency, workplace, school, and volunteer environments.

• Leisure & Lifestyle: Applying strategies during hobbies, entertainment, and travel.

Level 3: Advanced — Real-World Integration & Empowerment:

Refines and embeds strategies into daily life while addressing emotional well-being and independence:

• Comprehensive Strategy Review: Consolidating your personal "toolbox" of speechreading, assertiveness, and advocacy strategies.

• Navigating Resources: Harnessing assistive technology, community connections, and external support networks.

• Holistic Well-Being: Supporting mental health, building community connection, and strengthening personal self-efficacy.

To ensure my teaching methods met the highest educational standards, I earned a Provincial Instructors’ Diploma in 2016, specializing in adult curriculum design, instruction, and assessment. In 2020, I transitioned my courses to an online platform, backed by a formal eLearning Certificate. This evolution demonstrated that online learning is not only effective and accessible, but also opens doors for participants from diverse geographic locations to connect, share, and learn together.

The Next Chapter

Following my retirement from formal classroom teaching at VCC at the end of 2025, my commitment to this community remains as strong as ever. Teaching and supporting adults with hearing loss is not just what I do—it is an essential part of who I am.

This website serves as a dedicated space to share practical strategies, insights, and the collective wisdom my students have generously shared with me over the decades. Looking ahead, I am actively developing an online course, speechreading practice material, and resources that bring together my doctoral research and decades of practical experience.

Whether you are looking for actionable communication strategies, exploring speechreading, or seeking guidance on living fully with hearing loss, I am delighted to welcome you to this community.