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Read past interviews from various sources.
STLCOP Student Shares Passion for Sign Language
Published on 27 March 2015
“Steven with a ‘v’ for victory, not a ‘ph’ for phony. That is unless you know a Stephen with a ‘ph’, then it stands for sophisticated. I don’t like to make enemies the first time I meet someone.”
Freshman Steven Kramer introduces himself by signing his introduction. His passion for American Sign Language (ASL) is evident from the moment you meet him. Kramer’s love of sign language began in eighth grade when he joined the ASL Club. After learning how to sign the song We Are the World for a school talent show, he knew he wanted to advocate for the Deaf community.
“We performed the song with music playing, but then we purposefully had the music stop and continued signing, so that those in the audience could experience being deaf,” Kramer said. “It was so quiet in the audience that you could hear a pin drop. That moment really touched me.”
While attending O’Fallon Township High School, Kramer sparked interests amongst his peers and tried to implement an ASL organization, but was unable to find a teacher to sponsor his program. He then enrolled in sign language courses and joined the ASL Club at Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC).
After attending STLCOP Freshmen Orientation this past summer, he spoke with Toni McMurphy, vice president of culture and campus life, and explained his dream of starting an ASL organization on campus. McMurphy agreed to sponsor his organization.
After four years of waiting, Kramer’s dream was finally becoming a reality. As president of the ASL Club, he is tasked with educating nearly 30 members on how to help the Deaf community as future health care professionals.
“Through special guests and presentations, members learn basic sign language skills and about technology that has been created to better serve the Deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind,” Kramer said.
Through his membership in the SWIC ASL Club, Kramer was able to help bring two ASL interpreters to the College’s fall play, The Curious Savage, in order to provide a deaf-friendly event. He looks forward to the new opportunities the STLCOP ASL Club will provide in connecting the College with the Deaf community.
“I hope to make more events deaf-friendly and eventually work with faculty to incorporate sign language into academic courses as a way to help prepare future pharmacists to better serve those with hearing loss,” he said.
In the future, the ASL Club will work with other STLCOP organizations, SWIC ASL Club, and the Deaf community in St. Louis to raise awareness and understand the needs of the Deaf community.
Missouri HOSA: Future Health Professional Interview
Can you imagine living 11 years without an effective way to communicate?
In 2017, I had the opportunity to work with an 11-year-old deaf boy recently adopted by a hearing family, who wanted to learn sign language. For the first 11 years of his life, he had no language. When I met him, he did not even know his name! Over the following year, I assisted his new family by connecting them with resources, so that they could learn sign language together.
When I was a senior in high school, I discovered the research of Dr. McKenzie Ferguson about the need for pharmacists to be more accessible for their Deaf patients. Her work motivated me to begin the seven-year journey at St. Louis College of Pharmacy.
My goal is to collaborate with Centers for Independent Living, which is led by people with disabilities to empower people with disabilities. Since COVID, I have connect with The Advocacy Exchange to continue to empower the community virtually.
I will educate healthcare providers, as well as the public, on accessibility for people with disabilities and then empower people with disabilities to be advocates for their health. Join the mission in the ASL club in the Tallo Community.
Steven Kramer
Pharm.D. Candidate
St. Louis College of Pharmacy
Read the interview articles by STLCOP@UHSP and APhA's Pharmacy Today below!
Note: Due to a recent UHSP website update, the links to the articles are broken. This is outside of my control.
I have added them here via copy and paste.
ASL Awareness Week Brings Thoughtful Discussion to the Forefront
STLCOP@UHSP Marketing Interview
According to the World Health Organization, 5 percent of the world’s population has disabling hearing loss. This special population has not gone unnoticed by the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA) and the American Sign Language (ASL) Club.
During the week of April 5-14, SNPhA hosted ASL (American Sign Language) Awareness Week on campus to help promote understanding when communicating with patients who have hearing loss or are considered deaf. The week served as a reminder to current students about the importance of providing alternative techniques and approaches to accommodate all people, including those who have
disabilities.
“A disability effects everyone, not just the person who has it,” said Steven Kramer, junior at the College and member of SNPhA. “When we provide support, everyone can be successful.”
Events included presentations on disability awareness in medical settings and a presentation on deaf culture by the Central Institute for the Deaf. Students and faculty also took part in a fundraiser for IMPACT Central Independent Living (CIL), an organization that helps those with disabilities achieve independence.
“This week was dedicated to spreading awareness, and during this time, SNPhA members gained additional skills to help patients with disabilities,” he said. “By the end of the week, we were able to put what we learned into practice at the Health and Resource Fair.”
The Health and Resource Fair provided free health screenings and educational information about assistive technology and helped to raise awareness about support services and resources for people with disabilities. ASL interpreters were also on-hand during the event, and members of the community had the opportunity to participate in a beginner’s sign language class.
“For people with disabilities to have the most access to health care, it will require education for all people to learn how to serve this group,” Kramer said. “It is my goal to ensure that people with disabilities will not be afraid to ask me for help.”
Beyond limits:
Caring for patients with disabilities
APhA's Pharmacy Today April 2020
The expectations for patients and pharmacists are a little different at the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, CT. Most patients are not expecting to have a pharmacist visit them,” said Kevin Awugah, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist covering the medical rehabilitation unit and neurobehavioral units. Patients certainly don’t think a pharmacist will come read to them, either—but that happens on occasion when pharmacists and other hospital staff volunteer to read books to pediatric patients on weekends.
Advocating for the Deaf Community
STLCOP@UHSP Marketing Interview
P3 student Steven Kramer is using his passion for American Sign Language and pharmacy as a way to raise awareness about ways to support the Deaf community and empower individuals with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout his time as a student at the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, Kramer has collaborated with various advocacy organizations to coordinate health fairs that serve underrepresented patient populations including members of the Deaf community and people with disabilities, while also raising awareness among health care professionals about the patient care and communication needs of the underserved.
As the pandemic swept the nation, many health fairs and advocacy events were canceled, but Kramer continued to find a way to advocate.
“The pandemic brought health inequities to the forefront,” Kramer added. “Many nonprofits were forced to reevaluate how to advocate for their patients and raise awareness for their causes.”
After connecting with leaders of the COVID Advocacy Exchange, a virtual platform that provides a place for advocacy organizations to collaborate during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kramer was invited to serve as a guest speaker during the exchange’s “Taking Action to Correct Health Inequities” virtual event.
Speaking alongside nationally recognized leaders in health care, Kramer spoke about ways health care professionals can better serve members of the Deaf community.
Kramer explained that many health care professionals are unfamiliar with the needs of this population because of the lack of awareness that exists regarding ways to support patients who have disabilities.
“Providing an ASL interpreter is a great first step to accessibility, but there is much more that goes into supporting individuals with disabilities,” he said. “Not everyone in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community uses ASL; therefore, being able to adapt to your patients’ unique set of needs and answer their questions is what helps us work toward equity in health care. For example, while maintaining social distance, lower your mask and use a transparent barrier to allow the patient to read your lips.”
During his presentation, Kramer referenced his personal experience in meeting an 11-year-old boy who is deaf. The boy was unable to read, write, sign, or lip read because he didn’t have access to supportive resources during the formative years of his life. Eventually, the boy was adopted by a hearing family who wanted to help him communicate, so Kramer helped connect the boy and his new family to resources that would allow them to learn ASL together. Throughout the process, Kramer watched the boy’s confidence flourish as he learned how to communicate using ASL.
“Unfortunately, this student’s story is common within the Deaf community,” Kramer added. “This boy’s experience is one of many examples of why I am motivated to ensure all patients have access to supportive resources, no matter how they communicate.”
Not only is Kramer passionate about educating health care professionals on the challenges that patients with disabilities and members of the Deaf community face when seeking health care, but he continues to expand upon his own advocacy efforts.
“In 2015, I learned about the National Black Deaf Advocates organization and wanting to get more involved in advocating for members of the Black Deaf and hard of hearing community, I inquired of resources from their leadership,” he said. “Ensuring that I am culturally competent when serving patients is very important. I want to uplift my patients’ voices and empower people with disabilities to advocate for their health.”
Inspired by the information and resources he received from the National Black Deaf Advocates
organization, Kramer set up a virtual movie night on campus to encourage his peers to learn more about Black American Sign Language, a dialect of ASL most commonly used among members of the Black and African American community who are deaf.
Kramer has also volunteered with the BESt Pharmacy Summer Institute, a partnership between Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Express Scripts Inc., and the University developed to introduce underrepresented high school students to careers in health care.
“I am always learning and growing my own understanding of how to be an inclusive health care professional,” he added. “By continuing to raise awareness among health care professionals on ways to support diverse patient populations, I can continue to help ensure all patients have access to the patient care and supportive resources they deserve.”