Samantha Walsh
Samantha Walsh has lived with type 1 diabetes for over five years since 2017. After her T1D diagnosis, she was eager to give back to the diabetes community. She is the Community and Partner Manager for T1D Exchange and helps to manage the Online Community and recruit for the T1D Exchange Registry. Prior to T1D Exchange, Samantha fundraised at Joslin Diabetes Center. She graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelors degree in sociology and early childhood education.
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For caregivers of children with T1D, do you have any special accommodations available from your child’s school? For adults with T1D, did you have special accommodations when you were in school? Cancel reply
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I was allowed to carry sugar cubes wrapped aluminum foil in my little pocketbook and keep a bottle of Karo syrup in the art supply closet during grade school in the 1960s. In high school 1968 to 1971 I carried hard candies in my purse. The HS gym teachers kept orange juice and graham crackers in their office that I and two other kids with T1D could access if we needed to during or after gym class. That was the extent of special accommodations.
Allowed to carry and have access to cellphone so nurse and family can follow Dexcom readings/alerts. Allowed to have snacks/drink readily available for hyper/hypoglycemia. If severe hypo/hyperglycemia during testing time, allowed for extra or different testing times.
I had T1 long before fingersticks or CGMs became household items, but my school allowed me to snack whenever I needed which my mother had packed for me.
I was diagnosed in 1945, when I was 6. My teachers had not heard of diabetes back then. My college teachers also had little or no knowledge of the disease.
I was in graduate school when I had diabetes. It was many years ago, but I remember eating snacks and drinking juice during classes. So, I’m sure I advised all of my professors ahead of time.
I was able to go to the bathroom whenever I needed and had permission to go to the office in middle school to change my infusion sets if needed
I was in elementary school. My care team me to have a morning snack in class.
In Elementary school the teachers would keep crackers on hand if I couldn’t make it to lunch. Also, the school clinic had juice just for me to go whenever I needed one.
Phone and pump controller allowed always
Bag allowed (other kids aren’t allowed to carry bags during the day)
snacks allowed always in-place (does not have to go to nurse)
bathroom and water allowed always
parents always allowed to chaperone field trips (though I’d like it if they had a trained person)
allowed to delay testing when high or low (though he hasn’t done this even when high or low)
In the 1970’s I was actually teaching my class about T1 when I was diagnosed. Helped several of my classmates who were scared
In junior year of high school, way back in 1986-87, my schedule was solid classes from 1st through 5th period 8am until 12:50pm- no breaks for snacks and our campus was spread out over three buildings over a 10 acre parcel. (The whole campus was 76 acres, but the buildings were on the 10)Needless to say, without a BGM let alone a CGM, and animal NPH insulin on board, hypoglycemia was a real issue by Physics class during 5th period. I spent most of those classes imagining the food I’d eat to feel better. Needless to say, my grades in Physics were abysmal- a B 1st quarter and a D 2nd. This is with a backdrop of straight As in every other class including Calculus AB. Well, my parents go to parent-teacher conferences and discuss what’s going on- both my parents and teacher were at a loss. Then when my mother started beating on me for “failing” Physics, I told her, “well, it’s kind of difficult to concentrate when you’re literally shaking and sweating the whole class craving food.” Once she realized I needed food, she called my teacher and had another conversation about what was going on. After that, I was the only person in the school who was able to eat during class. sufficed to say, I got an A on the midterm and straight As the rest of the year – still ended with a B average because of it.
I was diagnosed at age 20 and still had two more years of college and then five years of grad school but never had any accommodations. I don’t think it even occurred to me that I could ask for them but, then again, college/grad school days are a lot freer than being in K-12. I’ve now been a college professor for 23 years and can only remember one student telling me she was T1D and might need to eat during class and one other student missing an exam because of high blood sugar. Otherwise, it’s not something I hear much about from college students.
I was diagnosed in 1977 going into my second year of college. It was all still very new and back then there was not as much attention paid to special needs for diabetics. I was careful about eating at the same times each day and tried to keep up with testing (urine only 😬) but none of my professors were even aware. I dropped out after second year so things might have been different as I went through things. I started working and rarely talked about it with co workers. Just didn’t see the need at that time. Later I realized how important it is those around you need to know! I have no problem sharing with others now.
46 years and still here!!
The only accommodation I received was the ability to leave class a few mins early to go to the nurse’s office to check blood sugar before lunch.
My son has a 504 plan to protect his rights in school. One of the most important accommodations is 1:1 testing for standardized testing (AP exams, SAT etc) so that the clock stops if he goes high/low.
As a seven year old child in elementary school in 1952, my great aunt was the school cook and watched out for me.
It was 60-70’s. I checked yes but there were no official accommodations but most teachers put me in front row to keep an eye on me.( which was a double blessings as I was adhd undiagnosed and most of my behavior was blamed on diabetes) I did keep candy food in my desk or bag I could eat during class.
They didn’t have 504s when I was in school. But I was allowed to eat a snack or go to nurse as needed for bs checks.
This question is missing an important answer choice which is “I have adult onset T1D.” or “I was diagnosed with T1D as an adult”.
I got to use the teachers lounge bathroom to do my urine glucose tests.
When I was in elementary school, my teachers had sugar cubes or hard candies in their desks. As I advanced to junior high school, that became my responsibility.
I was in elementary school in the 1960’s..
I went through school with no accommodation. This was the 1960’s with one shot a day of NPH and REGULAR. And minimal accurate feedback. My 5 year old Granddaughter with T1D is in kindergarten and uses a pump and CGM. Her parents trained both her teacher and site heath worker to respond to alarms. We also use DEXCOM FOLLOW.
In 1955, 3rd grade, there was very little knowledge and absolutely no accommodations. The school nurse offered no assistance with lows. The district would not accept the liability. The box of graham crackers my mom had given my 3rd grade teacher was kept unopened in the locked supply closet. By 8th grade I was sidelined to the bench during gym because the PE/Health teacher was “too distracted” to help me deal with any lows. The entire time I was in public school, class of ’64, I was on my own.
I was diagnosed in April, 1982. Coma, blah, blah- I was in 6th grade and treated oddly when I went back to school- so starting in 7th grade (middle school) I forbade my mom from telling any school about my diabetes – I carried my snacks etc, and we didn’t bolus for meals then, it was a schedule of two shots, regular and NPH, beef and pork insulin. There were some scary almost pass out lows, but I made it through. As I graduated and went to college, I again didn’t let the school know, just dealt with it. I am very happy times have changed and 504 plans are now “a thing”. Would have loved special accommodations for tests and such, but weirdly, I always had good grades anyway ? However, I struggled and worked way too hard and the support would have been welcome. Times changing actually does mean for the BETTER !
I was allowed to have a small refrigerator in my dorm room at prep school to store insulin.
I was in 4th grade when diagnosed in 1972. It was pretty simple back then as there were no insulin pumps, CGMs, meters, or smartphones to contend with. I had my Regular insulin and syringe in the nurses office and I carried my sugar cubes for lows in my pocket and had some in my desk. I had permission for restroom and water as needed.
My mom had the nurse to check on me and treat my sugars
I don’t think there was such a thing as an “accommodation” when I was in school.
However, they did let me call my Mom one time when I told them I wasn’t feeling well and I didn’t think I’d taken my insulin in 2 or so days…
I hadn’t taken my shots… some weird brain chemistry happening in junior high, I guess!
That was back in the NPH/Regular one shot per day days… still not sure how I survived!
Back in 1965 I had to go to the school nurse and eat graham crackers midmorning
I and another girl with Type 1 both had sugar cubes left with the teachers to administer if we told them we needed them. My low blood sugars were caught early and never got bad back then. We were also supposed to be allowed to go to the bathroom anytime we needed to in order not to have to hold it until the next break.
I was diagnosed in my senior year of high school when there had just begun to be disposable needles for the crystal syringes. My high school did not accommodate me at all. The area was backward and not even school-focused. The college in the same town was much better, especially after the Dean of Students at the college was diagnosed with hypoglycemia after thinking he was suffering a heart attack.
I was allowed to eat when I needed to even if it was 15 minutes til school out and was allowed to check my sugar at anytime
Cell phone food water bathroom breaks, parent on all field trips, testing etc.
I was diagnosed in 3rd grade. Although I didn’t really have special accommodations, if I needed to eat/drink something to raise my sugar level, then of course that was allowed.
Accommodation(s) did not exist period. You lived with no knowledge of any numbers…. and you lived. We were FAR better off emotionally and psychologically lacking such “mandatory” vigilance.
504 plan through school
I marked “Yes” but I wouldn’t consider how teachers helped me as “special accomodations” in my mid-1960s grade school. They brought me food when I had lows and in junior high, I was allowed to go to my locker outside of the normal access period per doctor’s orders for a snack. Overall, the school was very supportive, but no specific policies or formal accommodations were avaiable. PLUS no food or drink in class in those days, so I was allowed to keep a roll of life savers with me. Everything went fine most of the time. I didn’t need anything special during test taking even in high school. By then, I knew how to handle long periods without food.
When I was in school I was taking 1 shot of insulin/day. This meant that I had to eat breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner, and a bedtime snack. My schools did not want me eating in class, so I had to go out into the hallway to eat my mid-morning snacks.