Sensory Health Research

Recognizing Sensory Barriers in Daily Life

Over the past year, I worked with Duke’s Community Living with Mental Illness: A Sensory Health Initiative team to explore how sensory challenges affect adults with serious mental illness in daily life.

Through interviews with adults with SMI, caregivers, and community mental health providers, we helped develop three screening tools to identify sensory barriers that are often overlooked or misunderstood.

I conducted qualitative analysis of interviews with clients, caregivers, and providers, and am contributing to the team’s first manuscript for publication. Next steps include continued interest-holder feedback, revisions to the screens, and future deployment with community mental health providers.

Recognition: Our poster was a finalist at the 2026 Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase.