Extra Credit Learning Journal - Inquiry Conference

I attended the panel discussion following two presentations on Friday regarding the deaf community. The presenter that I heard, Charity, went to Ghana and studied education for the deaf. She learned that there is only one secondary school equipped to teach deaf students in the entire country. This makes secondary education for deaf students extremely limited. She also had insight into the social stigma regarding deaf children in Ghana. She made the comment that "they are treated like third class citizens in a third world country." There are also cultural explanations for why children are born such as the cursing of parents by a 'deaf god' to bear a deaf child. This type of cultural tradition many in the general population to view deaf children as 'pollutions.'

The part of the presentation that I found most applicable to my project came from the speaker before Charity whose name I don't remember. She will be attending law school in the coming year and has been involved in supporting public policy to help the deaf community. This made me think about my own project in that regard since solutions to many problems arising from polypharmacy will be found in policy changes. What type of legislation would it take to set up regulations for physicians prescribing multiple medications to the elderly? Have there been attempts in the past to set up certain regulations governing protocol for prescribing multiple medications to elderly patients? How do pharmaceutical companies view the issue of polypharmacy and are they willing to help set up regulations for physicians prescribing multiple drugs to elderly patients?

Keywords: inquiry conference