oes having diabetes mean that you have a disability or are disabled?

It depends.

Some people with diabetes do not think they are disabled. I don’t presently think of myself as disabled, but I do see diabetes as potentially and temporarily disabling. Sometimes my blood sugar is low, and for a few minutes, I have to stop what I’m doing and treat it no matter what is going on. If my blood sugar is high, I don’t feel my best, and my productivity may be temporarily diminished by some degree until my blood sugar comes back down.

To me, it’s not too different from the way the average individual will sometimes get sick or injured and require assistance, time off work, or the need to follow some treatment plan.

Maria Muccioli, Ph.D., writes for Diabetes Daily and also lives with type 1 diabetes. She gives the example that if someone has a stomach virus, “it would be difficult to carry on with work tasks; this difficulty is for sure more pronounced than for someone who does not have diabetes” she shares.

Circumstances Matter

Maria also doesn’t consider it a disability for herself, personally, but she notes that she does work a desk job that doesn’t involve physical labor or other aspects that can challenge managing blood sugar as needed. “I can see how someone (even if they would normally have excellent control) may be in a profession that makes it more difficult to manage blood glucose and would thus be more likely to claim a disability,” she says.

Some people with diabetes do consider themselves as having a disability. They may have other medical conditions, complications, or hypoglycemia unawareness. The circumstances of people with diabetes vary like the weather, and that’s why you’ll get different opinions on the matter.

Maria also mentions pregnancy as “another example that may make one more likely to view having diabetes as a disability – between the need for very stringent blood glucose management, frequent adjustments, and increased number of appointments, the condition makes it more challenging to continue working as usual.”

“Personally, I worked until 39 weeks with my daughter, but I was lucky to have my doctor only a five-minute walk from where I worked and an accommodating boss who allowed me to work 7-3 so I could go to all my appointments after those hours,” she says.

What Does the Law Say?

The American Diabetes Association says that “under most laws, diabetes is protected as a disability.”

In 2008, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) was signed, and it meant that you could no longer be denied a job just for having diabetes. It also meant that you could go to court for that discrimination and the defense wouldn’t be able to say you take good care of your diabetes and aren’t disabled. In other words, whether we take great care of ourselves or not, we are given disability status and protection by law.

What people with diabetes can and can’t do is highly individualized, but it may be useful to know these protections exist.

What about you? Does having diabetes mean you have a disability?