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Latest Discrimination Articles
Discrimination and Diabetes Article Archives
May 2011
What does sexuality have to do with diabetes? A lot, according to research findings that have revealed a group of people with diabetes as large as the type 1 or gestational diabetes community. Estimates suggest that 1.3 million lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals have diabetes-at least 5 percent of the 23.6 million people with the disease in the United States.
0 comments - Posted May 19, 2011
March 2011
If a prisoner on death row wants to donate his organs, should he be allowed to do it?
0 comments - Posted Mar 18, 2011
August 2009
June 2009
In May, 2009, a jury in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia found that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) discriminated against Jeff Kapche when it refused to hire him as a Special Agent because of his diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jun 26, 2009
December 2008
Diabetes Health magazine recently had the pleasure of interviewing Doug Burns for a lengthy feature. He is a well-spoken and forthcoming man with a good sense of humor and an easy-going manner. Altogether, he comes across as a very nice person. On Sunday, however, Doug Burns was severely beaten by police during an episode of low blood sugar that occurred at a movie theater in Redwood City, California.
0 comments - Posted Dec 17, 2008
It should have been a slam-dunk. My wife underwent two back-to-back surgeries to treat an eye melanoma. Through the surgeon, she had obtained written permission from our health insurance company to use his services and those of the hospital where he operated. Neither was in our specific insurance plan--in health insurance vernacular, they were out-of-network--which explains why the pre-approval was mandated.
0 comments - Posted Dec 15, 2008
Here's an interesting case that shows how diabetes research can intrude into other realms of life: The Arizona Court of Appeals has cleared the way for the Havasupai Tribe to sue the state university system for improper use of blood samples that the tribe gave researchers in 1989 to help with a diabetes study.
0 comments - Posted Dec 8, 2008
September 2008
These days, Doug Burns is a modern Sampson. The reigning Mr. Universe, he’s two hundred pounds of sheer muscle and the picture of good health. Of the skinny little boy with type 1 who used to work out in the woods alone, all that remains are a wry sense of humor and an attractively self-deprecating manner. They’re unexpected in a man who’s triumphed in the uber-masculine world of bodybuilding, but there’s a lot that’s unexpected about Doug Burns.
0 comments - Posted Sep 22, 2008
March 2008
The table was set for Thanksgiving and all the family was there. Joey, the baby, was the center of attention. This would be the second Thanksgiving he had witnessed in his relatively short life. Somebody remarked that he looked thin, but Sandra, Joey's mother, thought that it was just a sign of growth. As the turkey and mashed potatoes were served, the family turned its attention away from the cooing baby to ladling piles of food onto plates. Joey didn't eat much that night, but kept asking for more to drink.
0 comments - Posted Mar 13, 2008
November 2007
In a recent survey of over 1000 adults, 82 percent knew someone with a chronic illness. Only 34 percent, however, were willing to offer advice to their chronically ill friend about handling their self-care.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2007
June 2007
A study just published by the RAND Corporation, a well-known think tank, has found that routine care received by women for their heart disease and diabetes isn't as good as that received by men.
0 comments - Posted Jun 6, 2007
A 22-year-old who's planning to graduate from college this spring with a degree in criminal justice has run up against a Massachusetts state law that bars anyone who wears an insulin pump from being hired as a full-time police officer.
0 comments - Posted Jun 4, 2007
May 2007
On May 30, 2007, prosecutors dropped the assault charges against Doug Burns, the champion bodybuilder whom we profiled extensively last month. The decision to dismiss the case and not go to trial was based upon evidence from an endocrinologist that Doug was in diabetic shock at the time of the incident and therefore had a viable defense of unconsciousness.
0 comments - Posted May 31, 2007
Doug Burns, reigning Mr. Universe, was recently involved in an encounter with Redwood City police while experiencing severe low blood sugar; during the incident, he was handcuffed and clubbed by police who mistook him for inebriated. On May 2, 2007, Doug was arraigned in court on charges of assault and resisting arrest.
0 comments - Posted May 10, 2007
April 2007
The story of Doug Burns’ arrest during a low blood sugar episode has generated a lot of comments from the diabetes community. How did it happen, why did it happen, and how could it have been handled differently?
0 comments - Posted Apr 19, 2007
June 2006
If you live in New York City and have diabetes, your right to privacy is gone. A mandatory registry of all diabetics is in effect.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2006
December 2005
Could it be that when it comes to diabetes and the workplace, honesty isn’t always the best policy?
0 comments - Posted Dec 1, 2005
September 2005
Recently, I had a phone call from a friend seeking advice on whether or not to hire a nanny who has diabetes. I was shocked.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2005
August 2005
Remember Zeus, Athena and Medusa? The mythological stories we learned as schoolchildren entertained and thrilled us, but we knew from the start that they were pure fantasy. Diabetes myths, however, are believed by many and can lead to inappropriate treatment choices and behaviors.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 2005
March 2005
The U.S. Congress is back in session and hopes are high for diabetes victories.
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2005
March 2004
A September 2003 decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Oregon determined that eating is a “major life activity,” for the purpose of establishing a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
0 comments - Posted Mar 1, 2004
February 2004
Healthcare professionals have a general bias against overweight people, Yale University researchers have discovered.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2004
November 2003
If your child has diabetes, have you worked with school staff to set up a 504 plan to accommodate your child’s special needs?
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 2003
July 2003
In 1999, Crystal Jackson feared for the life of her daughter, Devin, who has type 1 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Jul 1, 2003
February 2003
A federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee returned a verdict in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and a man who was fired for having type 1 diabetes.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 2003
October 2002
Telling the world you have diabetes is not the easiest proposition. Coming "out of the closet," so to speak, could bring support or condemnation from others.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2002
A former Wal-Mart pharmacist with diabetes who closed the store's pharmacy in Chadron, Nebraska, while he ate lunch is not covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals confirmed in a July 2002 ruling.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2002
September 2002
Many of us with diabetes run numbers in our heads all day. We balance carb counts, insulin units, exercise and increments of time as if we were computers, sometimes making extraordinary calculations to safely incorporate 35 CHO of birthday cake into an afternoon.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2002
June 2002
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against concert promoter SFX Entertainment, Inc., for its policy that prohibits insulin users from bringing their diabetes supplies into concerts. Filed with the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, the lawsuit claims that the policy violates the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2002
The West Boca Raton, Florida, school district has decided not to reprimand an assistant principal accused of harassing a student who was wearing an insulin pump, according to an April 24 South Florida Sun-Sentinel article.
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2002
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against concert promoter SFX Entertainment, Inc., for its policy that prohibits insulin users from bringing their diabetes supplies into concerts. Filed with the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, the lawsuit claims that the policy violates the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).
0 comments - Posted Jun 1, 2002
October 2001
"I am currently incarcerated at a medium-security prison," writes James Mackenzie, in a letter to Diabetes Health from a jail in Shirley, Massachusetts. "I am 38 years old and suffer from diabetes and severe pain in my spine. The medical staff has tried to reduce my blood sugars—which range from 140 to 427 mg/dl. The problem is that it brings my readings into the hypoglycemia range of 50 to 72 mg/dl. This happens even with the lowest dosages.
0 comments - Posted Oct 1, 2001
September 2000
On June 27, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) joined as plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit charging the City of Philadelphia with denying people with diabetes proper medical treatment while in police custody.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 2000
September 1999
People with diabetes who sue their employers for discrimination based on their disease may now have a more difficult time in court.
0 comments - Posted Sep 1, 1999
November 1998
Living with diabetes increases the likelihood of experiencing on-the-job discrimination. Since 1992 more than 2,000 people filed complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) specifically stating they were mistreated at work as a result of their having diabetes. Another 6,500 complaints cite visual ailments and problems with extremities-medical concerns frequently associated with diabetes-as underlying reasons for job discrimination.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1998
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) will sponsor World Diabetes Day on November 14, which is the birthday of Frederick Banting, a leader in the discovery of insulin.
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1998
April 1998
In a decisive victory for people with diabetes, the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that those who take insulin are protected from discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
0 comments - Posted Apr 1, 1998
November 1996
Workers who believe they have been harmed by illegal discrimination may sue current and former employers. If victimized by illegal job bias, here are some strategies which can protect your rights and enhance the strength of your claim:
0 comments - Posted Nov 1, 1996
February 1996
Getting the services you need from an HMO often takes more than just a simple phone call. Convincing an HMO that you need a physician who understands diabetes care and that you need to be provided with up-to-date diabetes therapies, treatments, supplies, and equipment can be quite a daunting prospect. But it is possible, and it may be more straightforward than you think.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1996
May 1995
A long-standing policy of denying a pilot's license to any person with insulin-treated diabetes is being contested by people who feel that this is in direct contradiction of American Diabetes Association recommendations.
0 comments - Posted May 1, 1995
February 1994
Current Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) regulations prohibit all individuals with insulin dependent diabetes from obtaining a commercial drivers license. In a recent reversal of this policy, the FHWA has decided to begin a trial period for waiving the restriction based on a case-by-case medical evaluation process using criteria suggested by the American Diabetes Association. Drivers deemed eligible will be monitored for a three year period.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1994
Diabetes is commonly misunderstood as a debilitating condition that may prohibit us from being able to work, exercise, travel, or live full, productive lives. This kind of misinformation is often the source of wrongful discrimination.
0 comments - Posted Feb 1, 1994
August 1993
A survey of 108 people with insulin-dependent diabetes reveals that 35 percent of those polled have experienced some form of job discrimination, including not being hired (18 percent), not receiving promotions (11 percent), and losing a job (17 percent). In addition, the study also attempted to assess the degree of job accomodation available to individuals with diabetes in order for them to adequately care for themselves. While the majority reported adequate worksite accomodations such as a convenient place to test their blood glucose levels and inject insulin, and adequate space to store their suplies, over half reported frequently delayed meals, and 26 percent said that they never test themselves at work.
0 comments - Posted Aug 1, 1993