Diabetes Docket: Legal Advocacy eNews

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The Steve Bieringer “Keep on Trucking” Award Given to California Advocate
 

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Steve Bieringer

In 2013, the Steve Bieringer “Keep on Trucking” Award was established in honor and memory of former staff member and volunteer Steve Bieringer. The award recognizes the person who makes the greatest contributions to building the Association’s capacity to help more people facing discrimination because of diabetes.

Los Angeles area diabetes advocate Cynthia E. Muñoz, Ph.D., MPH was selected as the 2015 award winner. Cynthia is the Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, a pediatric psychologist with Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, local Advocacy Chair in the Los Angeles market, and a trained Safe at School advocate.

A dogged advocate on behalf of people with diabetes, Cynthia’s work includes improving the care provided to students with diabetes in the Los Angeles Unified School District by training all the LAUSD school nurses on diabetes. Congratulations Cynthia!




New and Noteworthy

New York Times Highlights Challenges Students with Diabetes Face at School

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Recently, the New York Times shined a spotlight on the challenges students with diabetes face getting diabetes care while they are at school. The article highlights the difficulty families of young children have when there is no one at school to provide daily diabetes care, and the obstacles older students have balancing independent diabetes management with access to care in an emergency. Parents discussed their experiences with forced school transfers, denying their child participation in field trips, and requiring a family member to come to school to provide care. Litigation to address such discrimination and legislation to ensure kids with diabetes have access to the care they need to thrive in school are also covered in the article.

Do you or someone you know need help fighting unfair treatment to keep your child safe at school or advice navigating the school diabetes planning process? Contact us at 1-800-DIABETES or AskADA@diabetes.org to get help from a Legal Advocate.


Parents Corner

Sending Diabetes to Camp: Planning for Summer Programs

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Thinking about sending your son or daughter to summer camp next year? It’s not too early to start planning to make sure enrollment goes smoothly and the camp is ready to handle your child’s diabetes. Children with diabetes have the right to the same opportunities to attend daycare, go to camp, and participate in community activities such as a recreational or art program as any other child. But sometimes, these programs are not prepared to manage diabetes and problems can come up. Starting as early as possible gives you time to work out any questions and to call on the Association’s Legal Advocates for help.

That’s just what ten-year old Vaughn’s mother did when her son’s summer camp told her he could not attend because he has diabetes. Told the camp was not equipped to handle a camper with diabetes, Kira knew it wasn’t right. With help from a Legal Advocate, Kira educated the camp about diabetes and antidiscrimination law, and Vaughn was able to participate in camp this past summer – a positive outcome for everyone involved.

Need help securing summer camp or have questions about your child’s legal right to participate in programs? Contact us at 1-800-DIABETES or AskADA@diabetes to be connected with a Legal Advocate.


Diabetes on the Job

Is That Legal? Wellness Incentives and Diabetes

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Wellness is an important goal for everyone, not just people with diabetes. In recent years, employers have begun offering financial rewards to workers who take certain actions to improve their health or meet certain health goals. These incentives come in the form of lower health insurance premiums or rewards such as gift cards, and are meant to motivate workers to improve their health.

But what happens when a worker must provide detailed information about their medical history to earn the incentive? What if you are told you must obtain a certain blood glucose level to avoid paying more for your health insurance? Isn’t it discrimination to penalize people for having diabetes or require them to provide private medical information to their employer?

The federal government is tackling these questions now by writing new rules to regulate employer wellness programs. The Association believes it is discriminatory to tie financial incentives to blood glucose levels in these programs, and has weighed in to make sure people with diabetes are not inappropriately penalized.


How to Get Help

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Everyone who has diabetes should be treated fairly in school, at work and in other parts of daily life. However, that does not always happen. This is called diabetes discrimination.

Greg Paul, a member of the American Diabetes Association’s Advocacy Attorney Network who has type 1 diabetes, talks about how it feels to be treated unfairly because of diabetes and the importance of getting help.

Contact the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES or AskADA@diabetes.org for help with diabetes discrimination issues.


Spread the Word

Did you know students who have diabetes have the right to request accommodations for exams? Often they need to do that ahead of time.

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The American Diabetes Association's Legal Advocacy activities are supported by a grant from Novo Nordisk.

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