[Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor

eileen scrivani etscrivani at verizon.net
Sat Apr 3 14:21:09 UTC 2010 

Hi Joy:
I will not ask my congressman to pass the bill without first knowing exactly 
what the bill is asking for.

Do you know if the bill (H.R. 4533) is anywhere on line in an accessible 
format for us to read?

Thanks.

Eileen
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joy Stigile" <jstigile at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, April 02, 2010 6:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor


> 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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>
>
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