I am keenly aware of this. I know lots of folks with diabetes, and even developed software to help manage it better. I have been involved in forums dedicated to it.
I understand all the struggles. But I would still argue that the struggles with T1D would be an issue regardless of whether you are in line or not. I wouldn’t call DAS a need at all for this.
Thanks for saying this. I fail
To see how changes in blood sugar, however abrupt, would prevent a person from being able to wait in a line
Would PTSD and autism not be a struggle whether in line or not? Accommodations are made at home, work and school for those, just as they are with T1D. Why not in the parks? Whether they qualify for accommodations is up to the CMs based on the symptoms of each guest.
Not in the same way. With PTSD and Autism, it is entirely beyond anyone’s control.
With diabetes, I have the ability to monitor my BGLS, carry glucose tabs with me, eat, hydrate, etc. if I get in line and forget to have glucose tabs with me and I go low, how is that Disney’s fault?
Agreed, there is some measure of control there, but not always. If you drop from 200 to 40 in a matter of 30 minutes while you’re in line, but your alarm doesn’t go off until you’re under 80, (which by nature of the system is 15 minutes behind your actual number) will you have enough glucose tabs or other sugar sources with you to combat that low or those effects? And could you consume them fast enough to prevent a seizure. I doubt it. And yes, this does happen. It’s happened to MY daughter while at Disney and UO on several occassions. Some days she has no issues, some days we can’t keep her over 70 in the parks without any mealtime insulin. Other days we can’t get her under 200. Every day is different. Every T1D is different. Having the DAS or other accommodations in place allows a person with T1D or other conditions to enter a line when they have done what’s necessary to be stable, rather than be boxed into a one hour return window or risk waiting through a long line (with potential delays) and then having a change in their condition during that time that precludes them from riding.
My daughter has 4 conditions that qualify her for the DAS, 2 developmental disabilities. But it is her T1D that is the most volatile. It hurts to see someone with T1D make a blanket statement that all T1s are alike and can control their disability and would need no accommodations for such.
But PTSD and Autism can be directly impacted and worsened by waiting for long periods of time in crowded spaces.
Help me understand how diabetes of any kind is made worse by these circumstances. If I’m missing something I really and honestly would like to know that.
Will this happen every time you get in line and because of the line?
I never said that. But I did say I don’t think having T1D should qualify you for DAS. Sorry, I don’t. I have dealt with diabetes my whole life and have had wild swings. It is MY JOB to be responsible with that in the parks. And I think there is rare exception for any T1D for this.
Would have DAS make it easier? Sure. But that’s true for anyone, frankly.
Right!
Again, I’ll go back to PTSD and autism. There won’t be issues in every line, because of the line, every single time for those folks. But often being in the line, whether it’s for the sensory issues or the length of time, does affect them. The idea of the DAS is to keep them out of the line so those issues don’t occur, both for the guest and those around them.
Same with T1D. We can stabilize BG only to a certain extent or project a certain period of time that it will be stabile/in range. And because it is so dynamic and impacted by so many factors, we can often be wrong on estimating she’ll be stabile for 30 minutes. Waiting through a 2 hour line only to reach the front and have an unstable child and the CM told you either ride now or wait through the line again is not acceptable or equal access for someone with an ADA recognized disability.
Does this mean the current DAS system is needed for that? Not necessarily. If they can develop a return to line system where we can exit a line very quickly and keep her from seizing or passing out in the meantime, then great! But DAS is the current accommodation that has been approved by Disney CMs for T1D. That is their decision, not ours. If it shouldn’t qualify then they shouldn’t have approved it.
Unrelated to the overall topic…but I hear this. I just switched to a CGM for the first time about 4 months ago. I swear I have more trouble with my BGLs with it than without! At least with finger pricks, it is real time info. That slight delay with the CGM feels like you are chasing BGLs. I might end up giving up on the CGM and go back to meter checking. I am giving it a year.
Hang in there. Most of the patients I know who switched to one love them. It is an adjustment though!!
The more I read their pages, the more I think this is 100% the case. That will be a steep.learning curve for Park Ops etc. but I think iis the best way forward.
To your T1D example, I had a friend whose trip was 2 months after her.young child was diagnosed. This was pre-continuous glucous monitoring and their glucous was all over the place. They were learning how to control it. She was incredibly worried about not knowing how the heat would impact thier sugar levels.
She was not 100% comfortable getting DAS and decided to wait and see how things went. They ended up being fine, but knowing she had an option to skip lines that were in the sun and heat, if it turned out they needed it, made her feel more.comfortable with the trip.
I asked her if the return to line option would have been a good option and she said- absolutely. She would have felt the BEST about knowing she had that option if she needed to take her child to cool off and then rejoin her family. OR for the more frequent bathroom emergencies they were experiencing at the time.
I think the creative options to address the needs of individuals without funneling everyone through the DAS line (but leaving that an option when the right fit) will take a while to be fully in place, but could ultimately be a win for everyone.
It seems to me Disney is looking at two different groups currently using DAS. One where waiting in a line itself is the trigger to issues/behaviors relating to a disability. And one where an issue related to the disability may happen in line.
I can imagine that trying to do finger pricks in line is tricky, but probably manageable most of the time. Unless you’re somewhere like Pirates where the line can be pretty dark.
But if someone does go into a hypo, trying to treat that, retest etc could be problematic.
And if they become uncooperative or unresponsive, trying to get them out is a huge problem. I know one child who had to be taken out of a switchback line on a gurney by the paramedics (or whatever you call them).
So whilst managing it if you can just quickly scan and treat if necessary is no problem for some, for someone newly diagnosed or unable to recognise hypo symptoms or unable to communicate that it becomes a much bigger issue.
That child’s family was given DAS once she was checked over at hospital and fully recovered. Thing is, normally her diabetes was under control. The heat & excitement just caused her BG levels to go crazy.
As always, what works for one person doesn’t work for all.
I don’t know if this has been posted yet, but it seems that Disneyland have updated their disabilities info to say that rider switch will be offered as a solution for those that may need to leave the line frequently.
I think it might already be being used, tho not sure.
Most Meters have built in lights for nightie checking.
Not the ones I use with kids at school. Stick the test strip in, read the result.
But even if they do, you have to get the test strip out (fat finger problems), or test open the foil for a ketone test. All the while juggling the pouch it all comes in, the finger pricier, the meter etc. Whilst the line is possibly moving.
I find it hard enough to do outside in daylight without putting anything down on the ground. In the dark? Ha’
Love this descriptio.!
I have kids I work with at school with CGMs and find the readings can be very different to finger pricks.
The ones who have injections all have ed to use finger pricks before the lunchtime injection. One child with pump has to do a finger prick before inputting the insulin. It depends on the diabetic nursing team’s decision with the family.