[Diabetes-talk] Iowa Diabetes Action Network Meeting and Resolution

[Michael D. Barber]

As President of the Iowa Affiliate, let me just say I'm so proud of the hard
work Sandi Ryan has done with this new division.  Sandi is a registered
dietician and really knows her stuff.  She tries her best to keep me on the
straight and narrow with my diet but...  I am convinced that Iowans are
really going to get an education when it comes to diabetes and blindness
with Sandi leading this division. I am also convinced that, with the help of
Dr. Kane, we are going to make inroads toward accessible pumps and other
devices used by blind diabetics like me.  As Sandi indicated, we look
forward to working with all of you in this effort.
Cordially,

Michael D. Barber
(515) 771-8348

-----Original Message-----
From: Diabetes-talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Sandi Ryan
Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2013 7:19 PM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
Subject: [Diabetes-talk] Iowa Diabetes Action Network Meeting and Resolution

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to let you all know that the first official Annual Meeting of the
Diabetes Action Network of the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa was
a success.  Our meeting was held during the state affiliate convention, on
Friday afternoon, October 4, 2013.  Around 30 people attended our meeting,
with 24 paying dues for 2014.  We conducted a little business--talking about
the history of the division, electing a new secretary and Board member, and
passing a resolution (see below).  Dr. Nancy Kane, a well-known Des Moines
endocrinologist, spoke with us about diabetes basics, potential
complications (including some hardly mentioned in the usual list), and
answered audience questions.  We are very happy with the meeting's results.

The resolution passed by the IDAN moved on to the Resolutions Committee,
where it was altered a bit and passed on to the Affiliate.  On Sunday
morning, October 6, the convention passed the resolution unanimously.  

Below is the resolution passed by the convention.  We look forward to
working with DANs across the country and others interested in this issue at
the national level. 

Sandi

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND

OF IOWA

 

Resolution 13-02

Regarding Advocacy to Make Diabetes Tools and Technology Accessible to the
Blind

 

WHEREAS, The National Federation of the Blind has, since 1940, championed
the independence of the blind and worked to make the world accessible to and
safe for the blind; and

 

WHEREAS, to help increase the independence of blind people, the National
Federation of the Blind has fought to make technology, readily available to
the sighted, accessible for the blind; and

 

WHEREAS, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of
blindness, affecting 4.1 million American adults over age 40, and

 

WHEREAS, very little technology currently on the market for constantly or
periodically monitoring blood glucose, accurately delivering insulin, or
performing other tasks to control diabetes is accessible to the blind, and
insulin pens carry a disclaimer that they should not be used by the blind
without supervision; and

 

WHEREAS, technology has been demonstrated to increase diabetes control in
the sighted, and the same technology, made accessible to the blind would
improve diabetes control among blind and visually impaired diabetics, and
increase independence in maintaining such control;; and

 

WHEREAS, the need for improved accessibility of lifesaving diabetes
technology has been largely overlooked: Now, therefore,

 

BE IT RESOLVED by the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa in convention
assembled this sixth day of October, 2013, in the city of Altoona, Iowa,
that the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa and its Diabetes Action
Network division work closely with companies developing pens, pumps,
glucometers, and other lifesaving diabetes control tools and technology to
integrate accessibility for the blind into the design and manufacture of
such items; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
enlist the support of the American Diabetes Association, the American
Association of Retired Persons, the American Association of Clinical
Endocrinologists, and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to
establish and implement accessibility standards for diabetes technology; and


 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Federation of the Blind of Iowa
urge manufacturers of technology that provides information to the blind
about diabetes management to recognize that creating technology useful only
to the sighted creates a circumstance that discriminates against the blind,
and urge such manufacturers further to recognize that the blind of Iowa will
join with other blind people throughout the nation to take such action as
may be necessary to end this discrimination; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Iowa Diabetes Action Network publicize
widely the inaccessibility of diabetes tools and technology as they are
currently marketed, and the unnecessary hardship their inaccessibility
creates in the lives of blind diabetics.

 


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