Ok folks I know there’s an AMA act out there now but I LOVE to see that other’s here have a job.(expecially the Type 1’s) When I was little and growing up (I took Type 1 at 10) you COULD NOT tell ur emploriers u were Diabetic for the fact all most all would fire u. No ADA then. I think it’s great that ppl can work now and not have all the fuss I had. One time I was a waitress (server now) at a cafe when the boss found out I had diabetes (she walked in on me takig a shot in the restroom) she ask me what I was doing when I told her she looked straight at me and said, “You didn’t tell me about it & if I had new u know I wouldn’t have hired u so ur fired now” No lie things like that happened then. It wasn’t any type of profiling it was just the law. After the AMA passed then it was easier to get a job. All the younger folks here had better stop & think what us older diabetics had to go through to get u to where u are today! It hurts me to see these things wrote uo on “what do you do for a living” then there some answer like “NONE OF YOUR BUSINUNESS” I just ;love seeing the fact that people with diabetes are allowed to work now. There got that off my chest! I will probably get alot of woe on this one but just wanted to let you know at one time there was no ADA out there and we’ve had to fight to get irt! Before thw old war Type 1 vrs Type 2 starts: I can only talk from a Type’s one point of view (seeong I’m a Type 1) Any one from a Type 2 (or 1.5) are welcome to join in.
Doris,
You and I are in the same age catagory. We have seen many changes in the laws that protect us now. We have seen many changes with Diabetes over the years. One of the biggest changes we have seen over the years is the ADA for many people, even if you do not have Diabetes. I hope that other readers will realize that as recently as 1990 we could be discriminated against because you had diabetes. Or the employer could tell you, you can’t take your insulin in the break room. Or tell you that you can’t go treat a low BS while working.
In the work place I am very open about my Diabetes. I don’t have a problem with my co workers asking questions regarding i.e. my insulin pump, what does that number on your meter mean? Why do you read labels on products? But, I find it disgraceful when I hear a comment like, “If everyone wasn’t so fat, we wouldn’t have to deal with Diabetes!”. …I would rather educate. Recently in the break room a mother was talking about her son, peeing in the bed, getting up in the middle of the night to get something to drink, always sleeping. I suggested to her to take him to the Dr. and have his BS check. The next day she came to me and said, “how did you know?.”
As for the person that you were confronted with in the cafe. I hope that individual now realizes what the law is. Or he or she is not confronted with a disability or maybe Diabetes themself. Your prior employer was INTOLERABLE! I hope that I will never be confronted with a person like that. If I am, I might just need to introduce them to my attorney.
p.s. what do I do for a living? I work for insurance 
I know you mentioned specially type 1. But at this point I think most people in the workplace dont even think of typ 1 or type 2 and even if you are shooting insulin in front of someone at work they stil wont know the difference. I say that because at work I have had people walk up to my desk when I was testing. I test all the time at work because I am a type 2 but I tend to go low. I always tell people unless you dont want your work done then this is just part of how it gets delivered. I am a software enginner and without my mind the work is not going to get done and if I go low that kills like 3 hours of my day.
The funny thing I have a long list of accomplishments at work that I completed after diagnosis. I even out perfomed non diabetics. I like to rub that in peoples faces so if they remember anything its that diabetics can deliver even the highest quality of work if we are allowed to test and adjust during work.
Hey Doris, How are you???
I did not run into much flack back then. I usually kept it to my self.
I worked in a metalstamping company from 1974 to 1980. I was promoted mutiple times in that short time. In 1980 the company was not doing well so I found a new technology in the meatal stamping trade. It is Wire EDM. Not too many people know what that is so I will leave it at that. In 1981 the owner of the company approached me and asked me if I had any money??? I thought that was strange. Come to find out he offered me a partnership in the company. Still there and going strong.
People with disabilities still face discrimination all the time when trying to get jobs. You do not have to disclose a chronic illness or invisible disability in an interview (and once you are hired it is difficult to fire you due to a disability or illness), but it is impossible to hide blindness, deafness, paralysis, an intellectual disability, and so on, and employers absolutely still discriminate against people who show up to job interviews with these visible disabilities.
I am legally blind and nearly 70% of legally blind people are unemployed even though many are qualified and applying for jobs (I consider myself extremely lucky to be in the 30% that are employed). And yes, employers will ask outright in interviews how I will do such-and-such while on the job.
The ADA and similar laws are great but discrimination isn’t so easily solved. Diabetes has become a lot more “mainstream” these days in that pretty much everyone knows at least one person with it. This isn’t the case with most disabilities, and for them the struggle remain. Many attitudes still need changing.
I am a Type 1, teaching first grade.
I was 24 when I was diagnosed and already working so it was not a problem with that job because they already knew what kind of employee that I was. I changed jobs and my new boss saw it on my health insurance application and freaked out about it. I did not lose my job but it made me very nervous about telling anyone in the future. After that, I kept it a secret any time I changed jobs until I had my foot in the door and people knew that I was a good worker. I was an accountant prior to going on disability.
I agree with Jennifer that having the law does not necessarily stop discrimination. It might make it harder for an employer to fire you because of it, but it still does not guarantee that you will get a job if an employer knows. They certainly won’t tell you that is the reason you did not get the job, but you would have a hard time proving that was the reason. I worked for a CPA firm in DC (that was actually where I worked when I was diagnosed) and they had an opening for a new accountant. They had an interview with a guy that was a midget. The partner that interviewed the guy thought that he was the best qualified person for the position but was worried about what clients would think.
Hey since ur in insurance can I pick a bome with u? LOL onlu joking!
YES THERE HAVE BEEN MANY CHANGES SINCE I WAS DIAGINOSED I really hop ppl will see that. To me it’s just great to see their ocupation on their pages. Kinda gives me that little (you can’t do this b/c…feeloing that we SHOWED them we could) I think its just a great idea for us older diabetics see that things HAVE changed from back when.
That goss weeell u have to remember this was in the late 70’s-earily 80’s when we didn’t have the ADA
Doing pretty dang good Ray!!! After that infection last week (ugh when u run over 300 yr NOT a nice person to ANYBODY!!! LOL!) It is just the fact thazt what now u can say u couldn’t then.
D, Keep smiling it makes people wonder what you’ve been up to!!!
luv ya.,
i was let go at a job at the time I was finding out I have Diabetes (in 2006). It was just a coincidence that I got Diabetes when I was let go. No proof of course if that was the source. I now am switching to the pump so its an easier transition in finding a job knowing I have taken care of the appts that are necessary for the pump before getting a perm job.
Currently I work at a grocery store. They know I have Diabetes as there is another co-worker with Diabetes as well. They also know I try my best to schedule my appts on days off but understands if I’m not able to do so. I worry once I do get a perm job that I may lose it again.
I also lost a job (again no proof that this was the reason) when I had to get newer hearing aids and had to go to my appts for my diabetes. But if it does happen, the ADA will be contacted.
I REALLY HATE that that has happened to you. My main reason in posting this is to let other’s know that the AMA hadn’t been around as long as some ppl might think it has been. Before it we had NO protection what so ever if a boss decided to fire us b/c we had diabetes (along with manu more aliments) My youngesr daughter said to my g-mother that she thought daylight savings time had been around rorever. Only for the 85 year old lady to look at her and tell her it wasn’t always like that.
I’m a Sales Manager at Dell. I tell everyone. Dell does a ton of volunteering and fundraising for several causes and so we have several groups that support Diabetes. It’s really nice. I will admit when I was diagnosed 15 years ago I did do my shots in the bathroom. Now I"m on the pump and I beep and do my stuff all the time.
I just wanted to post my thoughts :). If I had proof that was the case, the ADA would be notified big time. And if it does happen in the future, its good that there is that…I dont know how you guys did it back then. My thought on diabetes in the 80s made me say “I’ll never get Diabetes”. I should’ve of kept my mouth shut as it bit me in the butt in 2006.
That’s like me saying "“next year will be better” Well said that fot 10 years and it kept getting worse! Sorry but when I saw ur comment about not getting diabetes from what u saw in the 80’s made me think of that! “You wanna make God laugh tell him your plans.” Pretty much holds true here.LOL!
How we (or I) done it back then was not to tell anyone. UGH not a good ides when u have a low in front of the boss! LOL! I know u wanted to express ur opinion. Can’t say as I blame u at all!