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For caregivers of children with T1D, do you have any accommodations at your child’s school for managing T1D? For adults with T1D, did you have accommodations when you were in school? Please share more about your experiences managing T1D with caregivers and school staff in the comments.
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Yes, even in 1953 each grade school (6 years) teacher was given a kit with adrenalin in it and typed instructions by my mom. And though her mind is gone, Mom’s still alive, God Bless her. 🥰
In the 1970’s there was no blood glucose checks, CGM, etc. I was on R and NPH twice a day and had to take my lunch to school. No urine testing while at school, but first thing when I got home. No special accommodations made.
The school 40+ years ago let me eat at times I needed and even tho it meant that sometime 15 minutes before school let out for the day. It was students also with t1d that made it hard
We home school because early on we saw that our local schools were unable to accommodate our oldest son’s autism in a way that would allow him to thrive. I am certain if they couldn’t provide speech therapy support then, they would never be competent to manage his T1D now.
Officially I was granted some accommodations for standardized testing, like being allowed to eat and to make up time lost while eating or using the bathroom. Unofficially (I think), I was allowed to eat during class and the teachers all turned a blind eye to me wandering the hallways without a pass (since they knew I was probably headed for the nurses’ office or the bathroom).
I don’t have a child with T1D
This was a very long time ago when no one knew much about T1, but I was allowed to snack as needed(before finger sticks were a thing).
My t1d daughter has accommodations. I’m also t1d and didn’t have them
Not certain if leaving snacks and an extra vial of insulin with the nurse is considered an “accommodation”, but that was the extent of it. Of course, if I felt my BG level was low, I was permitted to visit the nurse.
I was always allowed bathroom breaks whenever I needed them. I was also allowed to have snacks with me (especially in middle/high school when that sort of thing wasn’t allowed in class). In elementary school, my mom came by the school at lunch to check my blood sugar every day. In middle school I went to the office to give myself shots and then later to handle my insulin pump (changing infusion sets after they got ripped out, etc). High school was a lot different, I didn’t really have any accommodations, and I don’t think my teachers even knew I had type 1.
I have got the best story about accommodations in 1975. However I cannot even begin to tell the whole thing here. But damn things were funny in 1975
That is quite a teaser. I hope to hear your story some time.
Now I need to know 🤣
Allowed to test blood sugar, eat, drink, restroom as needed; some extra time during long exams to test and snack.
When I was in elementary school (one or two teachers the entire day), the teacher always had hard candies in her/his desk. As I matured into jr. high school (different teacher every hour), carrying my own reaction remedies became my responsibility.
Getting diabetes at the beginning of high school was what I hoped would be deep dark secret. Word got out, of course, but there were no special accommodations made because I still wanted it all to be invisible. Ha! If I’d only known then what I know now, or if I’d known anyone else with T1, things probably would have been different.
I got T1 as an adult.
Dxed in H.S. in 64, No accomodations given or even acknowlegement of problems. I was small so the coaches were easier on me with workouts.
I went to graduate school while a T1D. By that age, in 1978, I was on my own. I’m sure that I did urine tests before and after classes, and ate snacks as needed.
There were no bloodtests, CGM’s or insulin pumps. Little bottles of apple or orange juice were my go to’s back in the day. Eating/drinking a snack in classes meant being super quiet. I am also sure that I told all of my professors that I was a diabetic.
Dx’ed in middle school in 1988, my mom was a teacher and made sure all of my teachers knew. Some accommodated more than others but I was definitely supported all through high school.
I chose other. My 13 yr old has accomodations and my 17 yr old does not. He chose to skip out on them at the beginning of high school. At the beginning of each semester he personally talks to each of his teachers and explains his type 1 and the issues he occasionally has with highs and lows and his choice to not have a 504 plan. It’s worked well for him.
This is a pretty broad question. My child has a 504 plan which allows me to completely manage his diabetes from home. He goes to a private school with no nurse. We provide a kindle in the classroom which displays our son’s Nightscout site. He self manages checking BG/dosing for lunch via pump. If I see via Nightscout/Share that other action is necessary, I message the teacher. There are five others in the “text tree” just in case. We’ve used this system since three year old preschool, and he is now in fifth grade.
Dx in the fifth grade in 1962, the only accommodation to be made was to let the teacher know that I was diabetic and might need to eat. I took my NPH in the morning, and that was about it. No urine testing during school (why bother?). The first few weeks after dx I walked home for lunch but as we all got more accustomed to the diet, I resumed bringing a bag lunch to school.Amazingly, there were few problems. I’m sure that if an A1C had been done at the time, it would not have been good.
I was 48 when initially diagnosed and working in the local school K-12 as a substitute teacher. No accommodations. The kids were very helpful.
When I was in elementary school my parents spent time with each teacher explaining diabetes and that I might need a snack. This was 50 years ago. Most teachers were clueless. For my eldest son we had a similar experience, but, in classroom blood testing was approved. For my granddaughter she uas the Dexcom G6 and a reader that the teacher has access to and understands what to do for both high and low bg.
My son has a diabetes health plan and 504, both were required/suggested by his school nurse. His management at school has been very easy, he does everything himself but has contacts at the school if he needs help. The office staff are great too, they have a dedicated area where he can keep extra supplies.
Accommodations weren’t a thing when I was in school.
I don’t have any idea if my Mom contacted teachers or administrators. She might have but I kinda don’t think she did.
Yes and No. I was given the time and space to eat a snack, check blood sugar, give insulin, etc. I did not have a 504 plan and I don’t think it was an option when I was in school.
In 1955. in the 3rd grade, there were no accommodations. After my dx my mother first spoke with the school nurse re. urine testing and assistance with hypoglycemia. She refused, saying that was my responsibility. My teacher was clueless. She kept the box of graham crackers Mom had given her locked in a cabinet, which made accessing one when I felt I needed it difficult. She did give me a piece of a cracker when another student had a classroom birthday celebration with ice cream and cupcakes. I had to eat my cracker at my desk while the other kids enjoyed their treats together at the large table in the back of the classroom. The next time there was a birthday party I was sent to the school library to stay until a student came to get me. From that point on I did everything I could to not need assistance with lows. Since there was only urine testing available I’m sure I was running high glucose levels most of the time. Throughout my public education there were no accommodations. It wasn’t until much later, as an adult in graduate school, that my request for accommodations because of T1D was finally acknowledged.
I answered “Yes” even though I was in school many years ago. 504’s were not being used then, but i was allowed to go into the hallway at school to eat a mid-morning snack and I was sent to the Nurse anytime I felt “dizzy,” which was my symptom of a low blood sugar. This was back in the 60’s, so a lot has changed since then.
There were no home blood testing kits, only urine sugars. So, testing at school was not an option. Also, I was only given one shot of beef/pork mix insulin a day, in the morning. So I did not inject at school. So, there really wasn’t a need for a 504. My Mom would just go in and talk to the school nurse/administration and the timing for my snacks and meals would be worked out by them and my teacher. I’m honestly not sure if there was any paperwork involved.
Several people referred to “504’s”. What is that, some kind of an accommodations program?
@Lawrence S. – 504 refers to Section 504 of a government act that declared diabetes a disability. This allows students to have a 504 Plan that allows for them to do thinks like take breaks, eat a snack, or take insulin when needed while in school.
I was diagnosed in 1973 at age 9yrs. There was no accommodations but I am sure I would have been able to eat/drink something if needed to bring my blood sugar up. There were no blood glucose meters at that time and I didn’t have to give myself injections at school as my NPH and Regular insulins were combined into one syringe and just given two times a day (once in the morning and once at dinner time).
When I was diagnosed with pancreatitis in 1987, I had severe stomach pains after eating, felt nauseous and I needed to go to the bathroom often. I remember very well that I had to talk to and persuade each of the teachers to allow me to have some accommodations. Some allowed them, others did not.
When my pancreas finally gave out and I was put on insulin, these same teachers were much more accommodating after explaining what I needed. I was able to check my blood sugar, and eat/drink in the classrooms as needed. However, my gymnastic and soccer coaches wanted nothing to do with me as I was liability to the teams. Rightfully so cause, I was always running low.
“Accommodations” were not a thing when I was in school. In elementary school, I’m sure my mother met with my teacher (I think she supplied them with juice and crackers, and told them what to look for as signs of going low); by the time I was in middle school and high school, I was handling things on my own and none of my teachers necessarily knew about my diabetes or would have known what to do about it.
Back then, too, students carried their own meds. The only time you kept stuff at the nurse’s office was if it needed to be refrigerated. I was one-shot-a-day back then (this is in the 80s), so no nurse for me either.
I have no children with T1, T1 1/2 or T2 Diabetes. Only I have Diabetes.
I was in school some years ago but my mother would bring juice placed in the office. The nurse was only at the school for a very short time during the day and her office was locked when she was not there. The juice was either orange or apple juice.
I was in school in the 60s and 70s, so ‘accommodations’ didn’t exist. After several hospitalizations in 7th grade, I was allowed to go to my locker outside of allowed time period to eat a snack. Not really an ‘accommodation’. No food or drinks in class in my school years, so Lifesavers were my low treatment choice
I technically received accommodations, but still received a lot of judgment and discouragement from using those accommodations. In seventh grade, I had to leave five minutes early before lunch to go to the nurse to have my blood sugar taken (I had just been diagnosed and wasn’t comfortable doing it myself), and my seventh grade history teacher would literally stop what he was doing to glare at me as I left the room…