[Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor
Mike Freeman
k7uij at panix.com
Sat Apr 3 17:00:07 UTC 2010
Eileen:
You can find it on Congress's Thomas web site. I believe the URL is
http://thomas.gov or http://thomas.loc.gov.
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "eileen scrivani" <etscrivani at verizon.net>
To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 03, 2010 7:21 AM
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Guidance on talking glucose monitor
> 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
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Diabetes-talk mailing list
>>>>> Diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org
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>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
>
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