[Diabetes-talk] DAN Seminar in Dallas

[Mike Freeman]

Greetings, everyone.

 

At this year's NFB convention in Dallas, the annual seminar and meeting of
the NFB diabetes Action Network, a division of the National Federation of
the Blind, will take place in the Rosetta Room, Atrium mezzanine, from 12:30
p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 2, 2012. Depending upon how much general
discussion there is at the close of the seminar, we may finish a bit earlier
than five o'clock. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. and the seminar/meeting
proper begins at 1:00 p.m. In addition to my presidential report, we will
have presentations on both talking prescription pill bottle systems - that
of Prodigy and that of envision America. WE will have a discussion of
current efforts to develop an artificial pancreas (some of the systems are
in the early stages of human trials) and the problems of making these
systems accessible to the blind from the get-go - something which has to
date not been considered. We will have our usual DAN business meeting and
hold elections for all DAN officers and members of the DAN Board of
Directors. We will have an idea-generating session of possible fund-raisers
for DAN along with a discussion of projects DAN members would like to see
the division undertake during the coming year.

 

And we will have a wonderful surprise! Some of you may have read on our list
of the efforts of Access Solutions, Inc. to develop a fully-accessible
remote control that will talk wirelessly to most Medtronics insulin pumps
and the glucose meters that go with them, the Pump-mate, thus making an
insulin pump system fully accessible to the blind. Access Solutions has run
into a stone wall in its efforts to secure a partnership with Medtronics to
perfect and obtain FDA approval to market the device once it has been fully
developed and tested. Access Solutions has come to NFB to assist in getting
Medtronics' attention.

 

Mr. James Kubel of Access Solutions will be at the Dallas convention and
will speak at our DAN seminar. I am certain that he will have a Pump-mate
device with him that he can demonstrate for us during the seminar.

 

As last year, I will record the seminar although it will of necessity not be
of professional quality, I being unable to connect my Victor Reader Stream
or BookSense to a sound system if one is present.

 

Mrs. Jernigan knows the room was quite full last year so we can hope the
room this year is a bit larger.

 

I invite everyone interested in diabetes, especially as dealt with by the
blind, to come to the DAN seminar, especially those who yearn for an
accessible insulin pump. You won't want to miss it!

 

Michael Freeman, President

Diabetes Action Network

National Federation of the Blind