Conquering life living with Type 1 Diabetes

Monday, October 21, 2013

Why do some teachers and schools make life for their diabetic students so difficult?

So I know some schools may have certain policies on why their students have to go to a nurses office to get food for lows or check their blood sugars but this rule really should only apply to young kids who need help.

I have heard too many stories about someones child being denied the ability to manage their own Diabetes. This is really quite a ruckus.  I hear of students having to get the ADA involved and go through all these crazy hoops. I understand those rules are there for a reason, but what about the people who don't know or don't told about the extra steps they can take. What about the child that is so low that they have a seizure in class because they didn't realize they were so low until it was too late to be excused from class?   What if that teacher hasn't been trained to give glucagon, and that glucagon is in the nurses office and she isn't in her office and the room is locked?  What happens then?  Do the parent sue the school for denying their child to have fast and easy access to correct lows? What happens if that child had recently been given glucagon so therefore it doesn't work because the child doesn't have any stored up glycogen in their liver?  The child could have probably take corrective matters faster if they had some fast acting sugar with them. 

When I was diagnosed I was a freshman in college. Some of my teachers gave me a hard time about it. I was 18 years old?! They still gave me a load of crap over it. I mean jeeze, I was just diagnosed, I was very upset about it all and they didn't care about my feelings. They only cared that I may cause a very small disturbance, its not like Diabetes was a disturbance to my entire life or anything. I told them I may need to check my bg in class or eat some glucose tablets or fruit snacks or something. Some teachers didnt care, some made it seem like I was asking for their left kidney. 

I guess what I am trying to get across is that teachers and schools need to be more sensitive towards their diabetic students and realize that Diabetes is a bigger inconvenience to us than it is to them. This disease is a very demanding disease, sometimes walking to a nurses office is just out of the question. Frankly if the student is fully capable of managing their diabetes they should be allowed to.  

If you are a teacher and have a diabetic child in your class, YOU need to learn how to take corrective matters so your student doesn't pass out.  If your school doesn't allow the child to carry anything to eat then you should take it upon yourself to talk to the child's parents and learn about what you should do.  I do not have a diabetic child and I pray to God everyday that she doesn't have to know what its like to be one, but if she ever did have to deal with this I can guarantee I would not allow any school or teacher to pick on my kid or deny her the ability to carry fast acting sugar on herself or carry her own glucometer.  

Teachers and schools who deny any child or student these rights or try to make them feel like they are a burden, should be ashamed of themselves, granted that they are able to manage their own Diabetes. 

Thank God for Dexcom deserves a sentence in itself.  Every insurance company should cover the Dexcom for any type 1 child.  I feel like my Dexcom is the window into my body as to what my Diabetes is doing, moment by moment. 

At least some schools are allowing students to self manage.  Read about it here:  http://www.stopdiabetes.com/advocacy-center/?loc=stopd-nav

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