[Diabetes-talk] Accessible insulin pumps.

Fri Nov 2 14:38:23 UTC 2012

My nurse educator, who I have known for a decade now, is a huge
supporter of developing accessible devices for blind and visually
impaired people. She speaks at a lot of conferences, and she shares this
message and uses my story for support. Hopefully if we can get more
people in the medical profession to be this active about pushing for
accessible technology, we will see more growth in that direction.

Is there anything we can do at the affiliate level to help with this?
Nebraska tried passing a resolution a few years ago that would have
doctor offices providing accessible meters just like they do for sighted
people, but the resolution was too vague and needed more research, so we
didn't pass it. I was appointed to a special committee to research and
revise it, but unfortunately my committee fell apart when no one
followed through with anything. Have other affiliates tried adopting
resolutions to help with this issue, and if so, how best to implement
it?

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/

"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Mike Freeman
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2012 12:02 PM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Accessible insulin pumps.

Bridgit:

Yes, we have adopted a resolution on the subject. This was in either
2010 or 2011. But there are several problems implementing such a
resolution: The fundamental problem is that there's really no law
mandating accestsibility of such devices. That's why passage of the Home
Appliance Accessibility Act (HAAA) is so important. Among the other
devices it covers is home medical equipment such as glucose meters and
insulin pumps.

Given that the law is no help, the only weapons we have are market power
and shame. Despite what most blind persons (let alone blind diabetics)
imagine, we can eliminate market power. There simply aren't enough of us
to warrant development of special equipment such as  talking devices, no
matter how easy they are to make. (If the Independence Market sells
twenty thousand of anything, it's a land-office business!) Moreover, the
potential market isn't all that great, either. One has to admit that one
is blind in order to want a talking device.

This leaves, then, shame. But even shame has only limited value in the
marketplace unless one can find individuals with influence to shame.
Generally, it takes involvement of someone influential with diabetes
such as Lee Iacoca (his wife died of diabetic complications) to make
things happen. We've tried contacting Medtronics personnel but have so
far not succeeded in finding the right person to make things happen.

Dr. Maurer is considering putting pressure on the FDA to move it to get
off the dime and put accessibility requirements on device manufacturers.
This is a glacial process, however.

But we're working on it.

Mike Freeman

On Oct 31, 2012, at 21:59, Bridgit Pollpeter <bpollpeter at hotmail.com>
wrote:

> I think it's time we applied some pressure to these companies. If 
> children's toys can have sophisticated speaking abilities, there's no 
> reason an insulin pump can't too. Especially if someone is developing 
> a device to be compatible with certain pumps, then companies don't 
> have to do the work. I think this is a pretty important issue. Has the

> Federation ever adopted a resolution similar to this issue?
> 
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog at: http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
> 
> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down." The 
> Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Diabetes-talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> Behalf Of Mike Freeman
> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 9:40 PM
> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Accessible insulin pumps.
> 
> 
> Bridgit:
> 
> The device is still in development. It hasn't even been presented to 
> the FDA for 510(k) approval for marketing yet. Mr. Kubel can't afford 
> to do this by himself and Medtronics has been less than responsive. 
> Dr. Maurer has written them once without result. I've told him that 
> perhaps it's time to step up the pressure a bit. Mr. Kubel would like 
> to work with Medtronics to perfect the device and get 510(k) approval 
> to market it.
> 
> For Linda's benefit, the device is a remote control that allows one to

> interact with the pump, setting basal and bolus rates and also getting

> the readings from a glucose meter that's part of some Medtronics pump 
> systems. It was demonstrated this past summer at the DAN Seminar in 
> Dallas.
> 
> Mike Freeman
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Diabetes-talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> Behalf Of Bridgit Pollpeter
> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 10:45 AM
> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Accessible insulin pumps.
> 
> I have heard about this, but none of my nurse educators have heard 
> anything about it. Wondering why this is? And one of them specializes 
> in the Medtronic pumps.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
> Read my blog at: http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
> 
> "History is not what happened; history is what was written down." The 
> Expected One- Kathleen McGowan
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Diabetes-talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
> Behalf Of limestone lady
> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 7:55 AM
> To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] Accessible insulin pumps.
> 
> 
> Hi Mike:
> I just got around to checking the link you provided reguarding the 
> pump
> mate but, unless I'm missing something, the assumption is that one 
> would have to have a smart phone to use it, which I don't think is
fair.
> Linda.
> 
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