Many parents of children living with Type 1 Diabetes seek out and receive a 504 Plan for their child to ensure the child treated exactly like everyone else regardless of his diabetes.
According to the Office of Civil Rights a 504 Plan is as follows:
The Section 504 regulations require a school district to provide a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE) to each qualified student with a disability who is in the school district’s jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the disability. Under Section 504, FAPE consists of the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services designed to meet the student’s individual educational needs as adequately as the needs of non-disabled students are met.
While I am the first parent not to use the word disability and diabetes in the same sentence, I am sure of the fact that my son’s diabetes, IF not cared for properly, can impede on his ability learn. It is because of this, that I too am seeking out a 504 Plan for my son as he enters first grade.
I do not expect anything above and beyond the care that I provide in our home. Since diagnosis I have become painfully aware of how high and low blood sugars can affect my son’s ability to think clearly. Whether it is a physical symptom such as a headache or nausea from a high number to slurring his words from a low number, to the more emotional affects such as anger caused by a high number to weepy and overwhelmed that accompanies some lows I have learned to check his sugar first before making a plan of action. If his sugar is too high or too low, I know that I must make an adjustment for him, either insulin or sugar, to help him feel better and think more clearly. This is what I am asking for in my 504.
I am requesting that his sugar be tested before major tests so that he is afforded the same opportunity as every other child in that room that has a working pancreas. While testing his sugar does not make him smarter, it definitely allows him to perform his absolute best on the test if his sugar is in range at the beginning of the test.
In our home we carefully count my son’s carbs to ensure that he is getting the proper amount of insulin for the food he is eating to keep his sugar as level as possible. I am asking that this be done in school too. If his carb intake improperly matches his insulin intake he runs the risk of high sugars or low sugars which can lead to serious complications such as seizure or coma.
In our home we monitor my son’s sugar when he is playing outside or swimming. Excessive exercise can rapidly drop blood sugar, so we test to ensure that he stays in range. We treat with a small snack if we feel the number warrants it. I am asking that the school do the same. Before physical education a test can determine whether my son needs a snack to perform at his best in the class. A test and a snack, that’s all I ask.
I am not asking for much when I ask for this 504 Plan for my son. In a nutshell, or nut-free shell for my friends with allergies, I am asking that my son be cared for in the same manner at school that he is cared for at home.
Don’t all children deserve at least that when they go to school? I know my child does.