[Diabetes-Talk] Medtronic sharing site

Fri Jan 22 02:28:03 UTC 2021

Gary and Robert,
I will paste below the information I sent to the Medtronic idea sharing department. Do with it as you wish. I know I probably wrote too much but that’s just me.

I have been using a Medtronic pump since 1997 and I am very pleased with the product. However I am now almost totally blind and My 723 pump is out of warranty. With the newest 770 pump which I got to examine all I could do with it would be to use the audio bolus feature. Most blind people are perfectly independent in their lives and do not require a caregiver and may indeed live alone if they do not have a spouse. This makes use of an insulin pump impossible. We as a community request that you start work on a pump system that is completely accessible for the blind. Ideally this would be a pump that has a talkback feature as buttons are pressed So that menu items could be selected and activated safely.  In talking with technology experts they say that this would be a very simple thing to incorporate into your current devices software.  The talking feature could simply be turned on in the menu for those people who desire to use it and would not bother people who choose not to use it. This is exactly what the voice over feature of an iPhone does. In addition or alternatively a smart phone app that allowed the user to completely control all the functions of the pump could easily be made accessible as both the iPhone and android phones have a built-in talking feature as long as the app is coded properly  On the iPhone this is called voice over and on android it is called talkback.  A totally separate pump would not have to be developed as all of these features could be easily incorporated into the software of existing pumps and smart phone apps. Diabetes is still be leading cause of blindness in this country and There are thousands of people that are having to discard their pumps and return to insulin injections because of INXS ability of these devices. Oh I will never be able to get the control of my diabetes that I have now if it is necessary for me to stop using a pump and therefore my quality and length of life will be dramatically altered. Please consider the  large community of visually impaired type one diabetic‘s in not excluding us from the wonderful new technologies and treatments for diabetes.  some of us like myself have lived for 60 or more years with diabetes and are hoping to live much longer with good health. But we need your help.
Patricia Maddix  

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 21, 2021, at 5:29 PM, gary-melconian via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Do agree with you.the more with the same position.the more likely it would get implemented.  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Robert Shelton via Diabetes-Talk
> Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2021 4:47 PM
> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind' <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Robert Shelton <rshelton1 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Medtronic sharing site
> 
> Would you be comfortable sharing what your suggestion was? I know it was an accessible insulin pump, but if we had your wording, we could tweak it just enough that it would not appear to be mass produced but would request the same thing. I am not a diabetic, but I'm totally blind and my wife is a severe type II. I've been following this list for ten years, and the struggle you have been waging in the shadows is truly heroic. I only want to help.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jamie Gurganus via Diabetes-Talk
> Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2021 6:00 PM
> To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
> Cc: Jamie Gurganus
> Subject: Re: [Diabetes-Talk] Medtronic sharing site
> 
> Yes, I am sure the idea that I have shared is not exactly what they were thinking about receiving from customers!
> 
> Jamie Gurganus
> Phone: 515-291-8451
> iPhone. iTypos. iApologize
> 
>> On Jan 21, 2021, at 5:52 PM, Veronica Elsea via Diabetes-Talk <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Thanks for sharing, Jamie. I wish I believed them. They have told so 
>> many tall tales over the years. Somehow I bet ours isn't the sort of 
>> idea they have in mind here. Obviously it's good to keep saying it, 
>> but it doesn't fill me with one ounce of hope. I'll work on it. <grin> 
>> Thanks.
>> Veronica
>> 
>> 
>> "Guide Dogs, First Hand", Veronica Elsea's classic album is now 
>> available on iTunes, along with other music from her and from the Guide Dog Glee Club.
>> To learn more, visit:
>> http://www.laurelcreekmusic.com
>>                Veronica Elsea, Owner
>> Laurel Creek Music Designs
>> Santa Cruz, California
>> Phone: 831-429-6407
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Diabetes-Talk [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On 
>> Behalf Of Jamie Gurganus via Diabetes-Talk
>> Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2021 3:39 PM
>> To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'
>> Cc: jamielgurganus at gmail.com
>> Subject: [Diabetes-Talk] Medtronic sharing site
>> 
>> Here is the link to the share your ideas page.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/share-your-idea?utm_source=Eloqua
>> <https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/share-your-idea?utm_source=Eloqua&u
>> tm_med 
>> ium=Email&utm_campaign=NTIJan_01302021&utm_content=ShareNow&elqTrackId
>> =bbd5d
>> c92b63c4ff7ad19fee1956b9320&elq=5430f22d0e8948b8bcbd8a9448f7a9e7&elqai
>> d=3784
>> &elqat=1&elqCampaignId=1853>
>> &utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=NTIJan_01302021&utm_content=ShareNow&el
>> qTrack 
>> Id=bbd5dc92b63c4ff7ad19fee1956b9320&elq=5430f22d0e8948b8bcbd8a9448f7a9
>> e7&elq
>> aid=3784&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=1853
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Jamie Gurganus, Resource Coach       
>> 
>> Phone:  515-291-8451
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> "be Yourself;  Everyone else is already taken."
>> 
>>                                 Oscar Wilde
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Diabetes-Talk mailing list
>> Diabetes-Talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Diabetes-Talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/veronica%40
>> laurel
>> creekmusic.com
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Diabetes-Talk mailing list
>> Diabetes-Talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Diabetes-Talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/jamielgurga
>> nus%40gmail.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Diabetes-Talk mailing list
> Diabetes-Talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Diabetes-Talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/rshelton1%40gmail.com
> 
> 
> --
> This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
> https://www.avg.com
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Diabetes-Talk mailing list
> Diabetes-Talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Diabetes-Talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/gmelconian619%40gmail.com
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Diabetes-Talk mailing list
> Diabetes-Talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Diabetes-Talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/pmaddix%40comcast.net