Empowering Yourself: Strategies for Success as a T1D Student Employee

Empowering Yourself: Strategies for Success as a T1D Student Employee

Going to school with type one diabetes is one thing, but working with type one diabetes is completely another! There’s a unique set of challenges that I’ve encountered in both settings, and I felt it was important to share since there are not many guidelines for how to successfully work as a type one diabetic.

I was diagnosed with T1D when I was 12 years old, and when I was 14, I began working my first job as a cashier at a local grocery store. I worked there for all 4 years of high school, and reflect on it with good memories of my experiences. However, that’s not to say that it didn’t come with challenges.

The Unique Challenges of Managing T1D at Work

Since I had only been diagnosed for less than 2 years at the start of my employment, I didn’t have as much confidence as I do now in publicly managing my diabetes. For example, when I would have a low blood glucose and close my till for 20 minutes while I treated my glucose levels, I would always feel like a “bad worker”; even though I knew it was something I couldn’t control. Most people were very understanding of my diagnosis, but the people who didn’t know about my diagnosis would question me about why I was getting a “second break whenever I wanted”. I was very open about my diagnosis, so I would explain it to anyone who asked; but those kinds of small judgments made me feel occasionally guilty about having to step away from the cashier till to treat my diabetes. This led to me sometimes not giving enough insulin before a shift just to avoid having low glucoses at work, but then my blood sugar would run high and it wasn’t a good long-term solution. As I became more comfortable with managing type one diabetes in a work environment, I would close my till to drink a juice box, go back to my till and keep working for 15 minutes, and then close it again to eat a protein bar before coming back and checking my blood glucose after another 10 minutes.

Handling Public Testing: An Encounter with Misunderstanding

I absolutely love using my Continuous Glucose Monitor now, but up until the end of high school, I tested my blood glucose manually because the CGMs that I had tried I found to be inaccurate. Whenever I needed to test my blood glucose at work, I would do so very discreetly. I only tested my blood glucose when I didn’t have a customer (or very quickly in between customers on busy days), and always pricked my finger behind my purse so it wasn’t as visible to the customer. After this, I would use the till’s hand sanitizer. I never had an issue with this process until a month before I left the grocery store to work another summer job. One day, a customer came up to my till when I was in the middle of testing my blood glucose and asked me what I was doing. I was open about it and said that I was testing my blood sugar and it would only take a couple seconds, and the customer was seemingly fine with it. However, I found out later from a coworker that the customer complained to one of my supervisors about how “unprofessional” it was that I was testing my blood glucose at the till and that my supervisor agreed with them. At the time, I was very hurt since I had been testing my blood glucose the same way for 4 years and had never been issued any complaints. However, I didn’t say anything because I figured that since I was leaving in a month, it wasn’t worth bringing up. Now, I have a different perspective.

Educating Others: A Path to Better Understanding

Reflecting on this experience, I don’t harbour any resentment towards the customer or my former supervisor, but instead, I have tried to understand where they were both coming from. Most likely, the customer did not have an understanding of type one diabetes and what it requires, and was just confused. In addition to this, I’m guessing that my supervisor only ‘agreed’ with the customer to avoid a conflict since the issue about me taking my blood glucose at the till was never brought up with me directly. However, I believe a more appropriate method of conflict resolution would have included taking the time to educate the customer a little bit about type one diabetes, and explaining why it was necessary for me to test my blood glucose at the till when I felt a low or a high glucose coming on. This situation helped me to realize how confidence and self-advocacy is essential in managing type one diabetes, and I have brought this lesson forward with me in the work I do today. It also helped me to realize the importance of education so that people can understand the challenges of T1D. For all the family members and friends out there, having you support us in managing T1D by helping educate others goes a long way. T1D education doesn’t always have to come from type one diabetics, and it’s important to recognize that we can all share a part in diabetes education.

After I quit the grocery store, I was fortunate enough to be hired in the summer before my first year at Trent University as a student employee. Since 2021, I’ve worked part-time student positions throughout the year and full-time student positions each summer for Trent, and have had such an incredible experience working in a variety of roles. I have been completely open with my diagnosis of type one diabetes, and haven’t had any issues with giving insulin at work, treating a low, or stepping outside the office to briefly walk around if my sugar is running high. Any questions about my diabetes management have always been extremely respectful, and I’ve found that most people are interested in learning more!

Encouraging Self-Advocacy and Education

In addition to this, having the opportunity to work for Diabetes Hope Foundation for the past year has instrumentally helped me to grow my confidence as a student worker, self-advocate, and type one diabetic. Meeting so many T1Ds who shared similar stories and have worked through challenges like I did encouraged me to continue self-advocating and to never hide my diagnosis because of unnecessary guilt or shame. In my future, I would love to continue working in the education sector – whether that is through diabetes education, post-secondary education, teaching, or any positions where I can help students to become more confident in practicing self-advocacy.

Practical Advice for T1Ds in the Workplace

Know your Rights…

Accessible Canada Act (ACA)

► The ACA sets a goal for Canada to be barrier-free by 2040, which includes identifying, removing and preventing barriers in all federal jurisdictions, including employment.

► This means that employers need to establish ways to receive feedback concerning accessibility concerns and respond to issues accordingly.

► Make sure to let your supervisor know about accessibility issues that may be preventing you from doing your job, and work with them to make necessary changes.

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

► The AODA requires employers to develop accommodation plans for their employees. This can include set break times and flexibility to treat a low while at work.

► Ask your supervisor what a typical day in your role will look like at your interview so you can decide what accommodations you might need if you get the job, and check in with your healthcare team if needed!