Was wondering how this might play out in the end. If you use your phone to monitor your blood glucose, but the venue forces your phone to be locked into a Yondr bag, are there ADA repercussions? Seems that the answer would be “yes”.
An ADA-related consent order: Redirecting… , and this line specifically: “Clear Channel Entertainment agrees not to discriminate against any guest with diabetes with regard to their bringing diabetes related medical equipment or diabetes related food into a concert venue.”
I sent a brief, polite message to the company asking if there is a protocol for this situation. http://overyondr.com/
Obviously, there are back-up strategies like bringing the stand-alone G5 receiver, use a meter, exit the concert to check your Bg, or not to go to the concert at all, but all should be unnecessary as having a phone at your side for monitoring blood glucose is a reasonable accommodation.
let us know if you get a reply. I’d also be interested in anyone who has had to use this. How wide is the locked zone? Does it extend to the restrooms? Hallways?
Some friends and I were just talking about this the other day. She went to see Dave Chappelle last week and he has a similar policy of locking up phones.
The problem with the G5 is that I don’t think everyone actually even buys the receiver, so that may not be a viable alternative. A meter is a viable alternative for testing, but it isn’t a viable alternative if you rely on the CGM for hypoglycemic and hyperglycemic alerts.
There are other alternatives, such as various ways that can make your Dexcom display on your Apple, Pebble, or a couple of other different Smartwatches - but they aren’t all “standard” and definitely aren’t all supported by Dexcom. Some of them take quite a bit of effort on the part of the user. For more info about that, see the Nightscout Project.
In the end, though, I do feel that this is a case where calls may need to be made to the venue ahead of time, ADA Title III chapter-and-verse explained (possibly even documenting cases such as the Clear Channel decision above) and state, simply “My phone IS a medical device, and I need you to make an exception. I agree to keep the ringer turned off, to keep it in my pocket except when monitoring my blood glucose, and to not use it to film/record the show,” even if they then require that in writing from you.
If we, the DoC wanted to push, calling the ADA Legal Advocacy Line at 1-800-DIABETES (800-342-2383) may be necessary to find out more information on this matter. A call to Dexcom itself could help also as they’re a big company, with a big budget, and lots of skin in the game as they’ve put a lot of money into the whole “go without your receiver!” thing. People simply aren’t as aware of CGMs as they are blood glucose meters.
Your phone is placed in a small cloth(?) bag, and the bag is snapped shut with a lock that looks a bit like one of those clothing anti-theft devices.
The bag+phone is handed back to you, but you can’t see the display, interact with it, etc. When you leave the venue, they unlock the bag and give you back your phone.
I tried contacting Yondr again tonight. They got right back to me this time around. Here’s what they said: “We have a special wristband for ADA requests that allows guests to keep their phones unlocked. A Yondr representative can issue these wristbands at the venue.”
