[Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor

Fri Apr 2 22:44:05 UTC 2010

Dear Eileen,

Right now the National Federation of the Blind has a bill in 
Congress"Technology Bill of Rights" (H.R. 4533) that is looking for more 
cosponsors.  Please call your Congressman/Congresswoman to urge them to 
support the bill.  It covers everything that you were talking about in your 
previous email.

Joy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "eileen scrivani" <etscrivani at verizon.net>
To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor

> Cheryl:
>
> Let's keep in mind that the meters are the "cheap" part of this picture. 
> Companies give meters away for free as promotions to get you using the 
> strips that go with the meter. The real money is in the strips.  And that 
> is the strips for any meter talking or not -- they are all expensive.  All 
> Electronics these days are made cheaply with the expectation they will be 
> thrown away after some period of time and a new widget of any kind 
> re-purchased.  I've said it before and will say it again that a speech 
> component should be an easy enough build into the electronics ... talking 
> phones, thermostats, watches, tape measures, scales, thermometers, color 
> scanners, microwaves book/mp3 players computers, note takers.  How 
> complicated can a little glucose meter be ... It has to announce a range 
> of numbers (date, time, and results -- all numbers plain and simple), a 
> limited number of errors, and a few expected or anticipated events.  Much 
> less than what a talking screen reader has to deal with.
>
> Eileen
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "cheryl echevarria" <cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
> To: "diabetes-talk" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 10:17 AM
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor
>
>
>> Here! Here Eileen:
>>
>> I think that the Glucometer companies in general should take into
>> consideration that diabetics has some kind of eye issues whether it is
>> losing their vision, just making them bigger to read, and not make them 
>> smaller and smaller.
>>
>> It would be advantageous to the consumer and to the companies. To have 
>> voice etc in them and not just the ones specially made.
>>
>> Should be standard practice for all companies.  But we don't live in the 
>> kind of world]
>>
>>
>> Cheryl Echevarria
>> Independent Travel Consultant
>> http://Echevarriatravel.com
>> 1-866-580-5574
>>
>> http://blog.echevarriatravel.com
>> Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
>> Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel 
>> CST-1018299-10
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "eileen scrivani" <etscrivani at verizon.net>
>> To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 10:03 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor
>>
>>
>>> Mike:
>>> I will address 2 of your messages in this one reply.
>>>
>>> First, the PV was promoted all over this list as having the NFB's input
>>> into
>>> the design and development of it if I am recalling correctly.  DDI, if I
>>> am
>>> not mistaken, also were given some kind of acknowledgement/award  at a
>>> national NFB convention.  I did not say the NFB was given any form of
>>> funding or monies by DDI, but if the NFB is promoting themselves as 
>>> having
>>> played a large part in the PV's development, doesn't it set up in the
>>> minds
>>> of many people how wonderful the NFB is and that they  do so much good?
>>> It
>>> does work as an excellent public relations promotion and image builder 
>>> for
>>> NFB.
>>> I would think, since you've been the one to bring up the subject, the 
>>> two
>>> images I stated could possibly prompt people to make more donations to 
>>> NFB
>>> chapters/divisions and that's okay because that's good smart business 
>>> for
>>> either a for profit corporation or a non-profit charity like the NFB. 
>>> Any
>>> company/organization will play these things to the utmost for their own
>>> benefit & promotion.  That is, however, a very different thing than 
>>> being
>>> given money by the company developing the meter and I never, never said
>>> that
>>> happened!  I did say it makes the NFB look good and it does.
>>>
>>> ACB, Huh?  What does that have to do with anything in this conversation?
>>> Did I mention the ACB in any of my emails?  Do you have some kind of 
>>> issue
>>> with me that I am not aware of?
>>>
>>> Going back to some of your other remarks , you seem to have issues with
>>> the
>>> new Solo meter, because it wasn't done "under your watch!"  Are you the
>>> only
>>> blind diabetic??  I think not.  From what I have read here both Cheryl 
>>> and
>>> Vinny have had contact with ADS and would think that both these people
>>> with
>>> long-term diabetes would have some excellent input on the Solo meter's
>>> design/development.  They too are not the only other blind diabetics, 
>>> but
>>> seem to be open to giving encouragement to companies that want to bring
>>> new
>>> accessible meters to us.
>>>
>>> Isn't it possible that other blindness organizations have had input into
>>> the
>>> development of the Solo.  There are medical providers that have blind
>>> patients and could have also had some good input into the development of
>>> this meter.  The NFB does not know all that has gone into the design of
>>> the
>>> Solo.  Frankly, so long as I have an accessible glucose meter that is 
>>> both
>>> accurate and easy to use I could not care less how it came about.  Do 
>>> you
>>> know for a fact if the Solometer company has blind/vi/disabled 
>>> employees?
>>> Does it really matter if a blind or sighted person programmed the meter?
>>> What is important is that we, the end-users of the product have a 
>>> quality
>>> device that does not impact our health negatively.  It would be a good
>>> thing
>>> to have some say into how a meter works or what it does, but I have the
>>> impression that ADS & Solo are open to input from people who are using 
>>> the
>>> new meter.  What more can we expect with any accessible meter?
>>>
>>> Oh, excuse me, but since I am only a mere mortal and not an NFB Division
>>> President, I'm only a diabetic of 41, almost 42, years, I can't know as
>>> much
>>> as you about these issues and the frustrations a blind diabetic faces in
>>> living with the disease as a blind person for the past 29 years, right?
>>> And, yes, it is my personal opinion that it is a very great disgrace 
>>> that
>>> the number of accessible meters to blind diabetics has in the time I've
>>> been
>>> blind remained at negligible numbers.  Again, diabetes is more often 
>>> than
>>> not promoted in numerous studies, advertisements, and articles as being
>>> the
>>> leading cause of blindness.  Taking that into consideration, it remains
>>> shocking to me that there's only 2, maybe 3 companies taking this into
>>> account when developing meter after meter.  Sighted diabetics even have
>>> choices into what color they want there glucose meter to be.  In today's
>>> business world, both economic consciousness and  political correctness 
>>> are
>>> driving factors in what companies do and how they act.  Decisions to 
>>> make
>>> a
>>> product that may not have high market demand,in a case like this is just
>>> "good business" practice.  An accessible meter would help blind 
>>> diabetics
>>> to
>>> maintain good health, & reduce further complications.  Thus, costs to
>>> insurance companies, medicare and tax payers would also be reduced.
>>>
>>> Eileen
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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