A Call for Change: Advocating for Diabetic Rights in Everyday Life

Author: Ashley Smith

​​Imagine you are going into anaphylactic shock (otherwise known as a severe allergic reaction) after being stung by a bee at a concert. Your throat starts to swell, and each breath becomes harder to take. Luckily, you have an EpiPen that you were able to bring into the concert, and you administer it. You begin to breathe better, and the fear subsides.

Now, what if I told you that this situation is not much different from a hypoglycemic emergency? Imagine you are at the same concert, and you notice your blood sugar is dropping. You start to feel dizzy and shaky, and you reach for your emergency juice—only to realize it’s not there. You remember that your emergency drink was confiscated because the establishment did not allow you to bring it in.

These two examples highlight the injustice and societal issues surrounding diabetic emergencies. The EpiPen is similar to the juice for a diabetic, so why aren’t we allowed to bring our emergency foods or drinks with us, just as we would be able to bring an EpiPen?

Rights and Policies:

The ethical consideration surrounding whether establishments should allow a person to bring in external foods/drinks for hypoglycemic emergencies goes back to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) (Government of Canada, 2024; Government of Ontario, 2022; Ontario Human Rights Commission, n.d.).

In the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, specifically under Section 15, it states that every person has equal rights and protection, no matter a person’s background, sex, race, or mental or physical disability (Government of Canada, 2024). Under that section, no one is to be discriminated against based on any of those characteristics, which further includes the health condition of diabetes (Government of Canada, 2024).

Likewise, the AODA is specific to Ontario, but it outlines rules and conditions for accessibility standards for businesses, organizations, and public spaces. Under the AODA, all organizations need to identify, understand, and remove barriers that may impede customers with disabilities. The AODA covers the requirements for organizations that serve the public and provide goods and services, such as wholesalers and manufacturers (Government of Ontario, 2022).

Moreover, under the OHRC, the Ontario law not only prioritizes accessibility but also accommodation for individuals with disabilities. Each business or establishment has the obligation to provide reasonable accommodation to meet medical needs, which includes the ability to manage hypoglycemic episodes. However, if an establishment denies someone the ability to bring in essential items for their medical needs, under the Human Rights Policies of the OHRC, it can be considered discriminatory. Lastly, if the establishment is a food service provider, local health regulations may restrict external foods for safety. However, exceptions must be made for medical and accessibility reasons (Ontario Human Rights Commission, n.d.).

Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the AODA, and the OHRC, every individual with diabetes has the right to bring in necessary medical items (foods/drinks/devices) to ensure they remain safe within the establishment (Government of Canada, 2024; Government of Ontario, 2022; Ontario Human Rights Commission, n.d.).

Interventions:

Although each person with diabetes has their rights to bring in any necessary medical needs to help manage their condition, there may be some resistance when entering an establishment, such as concerts, amusement parks, or even airports. However, some interventions can help combat resistance and also help spread awareness about diabetic rights (Diabetes Canada, n.d.; Musaigwa, 2023).

For immediate actions, it is important to educate staff on your medical needs. For example, you could say, “I have diabetes, and it requires that I have access to emergency foods/drinks, such as juice, to help treat my low blood sugar.” Educating staff can help staff identify learning gaps and become more accommodating toward you (Diabetes Canada, n.d.). It can also be helpful to mark your items for their medical use, such as “Emergency Glucose,” to help staff identify what items you require (Diabetes Canada, n.d.). However, if staff are still resistant to your medical needs, it is important to also highlight human rights laws, such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, AODA, or the OHRC, to ensure you are protected with your rights (Diabetes Canada, n.d.).

However, long-term interventions may be warranted for a long-term change to combat continued discrimination (Musaigwa, 2023). An important part of trying to make a change is to use your leadership skills. Leadership involves motivating others and building confidence and trust between others to move toward a goal (Musaigwa, 2023). Invoking leadership skills can allow for advocacy, where we can contact establishments to share our experience to invoke a change (Musaigwa, 2023). Likewise, being a leader can also help encourage policy changes through advocacy to target systemic issues within the establishment, preventing staff from treating people with diabetes with bias, inequity, or a lack of understanding (Musaigwa, 2023).

Furthermore, after advocating and encouraging policy changes, the use of spreading awareness about accessible accommodations on social media or community forums will help raise awareness about the need for creating an inclusive environment for all establishments, where everyone feels safe and comfortable with their medical needs (Musaigwa, 2023).

Overall, everyone should be treated fairly, equitably, and equally, no matter who they are. Going back to the example at the beginning, an EpiPen is like someone’s juice for hypoglycemia. They are both used to save a person’s life, and spreading the message, advocating, and sharing your rights is important to make a lasting and meaningful difference.

References:

Diabetes Canada. (n.d.). Self-care in public places. https://www.diabetes.ca/learn-about-diabetes/your-rights/self-care-in-public-places 

Government of Canada. (2024, August 13). Section 15 – equality rights. Charterpedia. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/csj-sjc/rfc-dlc/ccrf-ccdl/check/art15.html 

Government of Ontario. (2022, October 5). How to make Customer Service Accessible. https://www.ontario.ca/page/how-make-customer-service-accessible 

Musaigwa, M. (2023). The role of leadership in managing change. International Review of Management and Marketing, 13(6), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.13526 

Ontario Human Rights Commission. (n.d.). Duty to accommodate disability. https://www3.ohrc.on.ca/en/dining-out-accessibly-review-audit-results-and-commitments/duty-accommodate-disability