Monday 24 May 2010

Wow.

Oh Diabetes UK, you have epically embarrassed yourselves royally. Consider that you are the 'leading' charity for people with diabetes in the UK, and you can't even distinguish between type one and type two?

"One of the things we're doing in Diabetes Week is dispelling the myths around diabetes. We've launched 5 new images to help with this, which mention some of the most popular myths we hear about:

Diabetes myth: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes
Diabetes myth: Type 2 diabetes is mild diabetes...
Diabetes myth: If you ha...ve diabetes you can't drive
Diabetes myth: People with diabetes can't play sport
Diabetes myth: Having diabetes means you can’t do certain jobs


Visit our website and Share these new images via Facebook so all your friends and family can help spread the word!"

Well...hi, Diabetes UK. As a type one diabetic, I can't drive a public bus, or a train, or fly a plane. I can't join the armed forces and I can't work on a cruise ship (the last time I checked).
 
So please DUK, explain how it's a myth? You're right about type 2s, I'll give you that - most jobs are still open to them. But once again you have failed to distinguish between the two types, which are essentially two massively different conditions.
 
Let me quote your website:
 
"OK, let’s just get it over with and start with the jobs you aren’t allowed to do. The reason you aren’t allowed to do them is because blanket restrictions have been placed on people with insulin-dependent diabetes applying for the jobs, which include:

• the Armed Forces


• jobs requiring a large goods vehicle licence or a licence to drive certain passenger carrying vehicles (PCV's)


• airline pilot and in some cases cabin crew


• working offshore, for example, on oil-rigs or aboard cruise liners (even as a caterer – an illogical blanket ban!)


• there may be restrictions on other jobs, eg. train driving. These may be decided on an individual basis.


This may seem unfair – and Diabetes UK agrees – but unfortunately this is the case at the moment. However, things won’t always be this way. The situation is always improving.

 
For example, since October 2004, blanket restrictions have been lifted on joining the fire, police and ambulance service. This means you can now apply for jobs within these sectors, but your fitness to do the job will be assessed on an individual basis. People who use insulin and who already have jobs in these sectors should be allowed to continue, as long as they are fit to do so."

-http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/My-life/Teens/Me-and-my-diabetes/Employment/

Let's reiterate: you would like to dispell the myth that 'having diabetes means you can't do certain jobs', but the information you give out to teh general public catergorically states that there are jobs you can't do.

I appreciate that DUK are doing the campaign to raise awareness, but when they are putting out info that simply isn't correct and is totally misleading, it makes me want to hit my head off my desk.

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