Discrimination of Diabetics in the Work Field - Essay Example

Discrimination of diabetics in the work field I am suffering from juvenile diabetes mellitus since last 18 years. Before going into details of the problems and discrimination I experience because of this disorder I think it necessary to explain briefly about the diabetic condition in general and especially juvenile diabetic. It is a condition with chaotic metabolism and improperly high blood glucose levels owing to lack of insulin production in the pancreas. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder caused by the lack of ability of the pancreas to produce insulin or inability of the body cells to respond the insulin it does produce. There are two major types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 2 diabetic, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, is comparatively high among diabetes and caused because of insulin resistance, primarily owing to obesity, with insufficient production of insulin by the body. That means, the pancreas does not produce the required amount of insulin or the cells in the body do not respond to the insulin, or both. Type 1 diabetic, also called insulin-dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes, is caused by autoimmune damage of the beta cells of the pancreas which produce insulin. The food a person eats is broken down through the digestive process into glucose which then passes into the bloodstream and the hormone called insulin allows the glucose to enter in the cell for the normal metabolism the body. In normal person, the pancreas produces the right amount of insulin required for the body. But, if the person has diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin, or the cells do not respond normally to the insulin. Glucose builds up in the blood, not able to enter in the cell because of insufficient or no insulin, flows into the urine and passes from the body unused. Therefore those patients need insulin from an out side source for the metabolism of the cell and in turn for survival (Health Encyclopedia, 2007). The cause of Juvenile Diabetes is basically one’s immune system that it not only protects from the attacks from an external virus but some time goes on to attack particular cells in the pancreas called beta cells which is responsible for the production of insulin. The function of the beta cells is to metabolize carbohydrate. Once this process is hampered, glucose begins to build up in the body leading to the process called acidosis and the body turns on its self yet again and starts eating its own cells. Since the beta cells in the pancreas are damaged due to immune system of the body, production of insulin is stopped, Juvenile (or Type 1) Diabetes need insulin from an external source. When insulin is released by the beta cells in the pancreas an integrated endocrine system plays an important role in controlling the blood sugar levels automatically in most normal people. But Juvenile Diabetics have to deal with this manually, in order to survive and in my experience, it isnt easy (Juvenile Diabetic.com, N.D.). Type 1 (Juvenile) diabetics is a lifelong disease. Type 1 diabetics can occure at any age, but it normally starts in people younger than 30 years. The real cause of type 1 diabetes is not clear and the Type 1 diabetes accounts for 3% of all new cases of diabetes reported every year. After diagnosis as Juvenile diabetics the urgent goals of treatment is to treat diabetic ketoacidosis and to bring down the high blood glucose levels. Continuous treatments are needed to sustain life, lessen symptoms, and avoid diabetes-related complications such as blindness, kidney failure, and amputation of limbs. These aims can be achieved through education and management of insulin use, food control, exercise, foot care, and correct testing of blood glucose levels. Insulin preparations depend on how fast they start to work and how long they last. The health care professional studies blood glucose level of a patient and decide the correct type of insulin the person should use. Sometimes more than one type of insulin may be mixed together in an injection to get the best control result of blood glucose (Medical Encyclopedia, 2007). Diabetics’ people face discrimination at work, at school, and in many other places in their life. It would not happen in every work place, but it is widespread and should be taken as a serious problem. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) through its legal support program is taking necessary steps to end this discrimination. The ADA highlights the legal setting of diabetes discrimination, describes its efforts to fight discrimination, and clarifies the vital role that diabetes health care professionals can play to end the discrimination against diabetics’ people. The health care professionals work hard in educating the patients to make them understand the importance of good diabetes management and help them to make necessary lifestyle changes. But the health care professionals know the ability of the people with diabetes to manage their disease depends on various social aspects. Employees with diabetes who face discrimination in the workplace are inadequate in affording finance for themselves and their families. Hence it is necessary to prevent discrimination towards people with diabetes both in terms of justice and as a matter of making easy of their good diabetes management. Some times diabetes health care professionals may get involved in discrimination matters in the normal course of patient care. Sometimes, patients may express a problem at work and look for help. Health care professionals should be prepared to address the problem to abide by a particular course of diabetes management. Most of the discrimination people with diabetes face are as a result of officials does not understand diabetes and how it is managed. Diabetes professionals through the education course dismiss myths about diabetes and prevent discrimination. When legal protection is needed, diabetes health care professional’s checks with lawyers who understand the medical issues involved in a given case and appear as skilled witnesses to explain diabetes to the judge. The laws protecting people with diabetes from discrimination require courts to fully realize how diabetes affects the individual concerned. The two significant goals of ADA for attaining justice for people in the workplace are: No one with diabetes is deprived of a job for which he or she is competent; each person with diabetes should be provided with the reasonable accommodation to protect his or her health on the job. The first goal admits that not everyone with diabetes is qualified to do all job. Because of the way the disease affects individually, some are not capable to perform some jobs. Also, not all have the training or skills necessary for particular post. However, people should be assessed individually with respect to how diabetes affects them. Therefore, there should not be any blind restriction that eliminates a person from a job only because of him or her as a person with diabetes. The second goal—obtaining reasonable accommodations—involves employers making minor adjustments to ordinary routines that can ease a person with diabetes being able to complete the job in question. This means that permitting an employee to come out from his work for a couple of minutes to check and treat his or her blood glucose level. Employment civil rights laws provide defense against discrimination in the workplace. The Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Congressional Accountability Act are federal laws that guard workers with disabilities. Additionally, most of the states have their own anti-discrimination laws. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act, is important for people with diabetes since it permits individuals to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year to redress their own or a family member’s grave medical condition. Even though these laws are essential to protect workers with diabetes, they need to establish that they are qualified people with a disability and that they were discriminated against because of diabetes. It is not easy to meet these legal requirements. The reality is that if an individual is not found to be covered by disability rights laws, and then it is absolutely legal for an employer to refuse employment to him only because he or she has diabetes. Therefore, “disability” is a legal term that must be understood and established in this circumstance. A diabetes professional can explain to a court to prove that the individual in question deserve protection under civil rights laws by explaining the complex treatment to manage the safe blood glucose levels and the short- and long-term effect of failing to do so. Further the health care professional can prove to the court how this employee can also be reasonably competent in doing the job by explaining the existing modern treatment available for diabetes management and how the worker can successfully and safely perform the job (Arent, 2002). As the science advanced in the field of medicine, scientists have acknowledged genetic reasons for various diseases and health disorders, including cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and many other diseases. Genetic tests are available to determine tendency to precise health conditions. They offer a new opening for individuals to know more about the possible future risk of disease for themselves and their families. With this genetic status, individuals can take precautionary steps to keep their health, improve their well-being, and reduce health care costs. According to the report ‘Faces of Genetic Discrimination, July 2004 there is growing fear that employers and health insurance companies may use genetic information to reject access to employment or health insurance coverage. Number of surveys report that the majority of Americans want to keep their genetic information secret. Because they fear that the employers or health insurers may misuse this information. Discrimination based on genetic information is harmful because genetic markers indicate an increased chance, but no assurance, that a marked condition will develop. Even though some state and federal laws now protect against genetic discrimination in health insurance and employment, these laws are not adequate, leaving persons helpless once their genetic information is disclosed. Further people who fear that they will lose their job or health insurance because of their genetic composition avoid getting tested and never understand the possible benefits of early detection and prevention. Community anxiety about genetic discrimination will only increase as genetic science advances. The genetic discrimination and the worries about its effects are real and are already having a major concern on our health care system. There is a human cost to genetic discrimination that is often hidden from societies view (Faces of Genetic Discrimination, 2004). Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation observes that genetic testing will become ever more used in health assessment and prevention. It is important in this situation to protect Americans from abuse of genetic information that would lead to discrimination in insurance coverage or employment. Though the foolishness of discrimination based on genes would certainly become clear to all later, it is necessary that laws be passed to stop such discrimination from ever happening. As a matter of fact, classifying people on a genetic base in any background, whether it involves health care or any other aspect of social policy, violates the basic principles of the society that each individual is born equal and deserve equal justice under law. References Arent, S. (2002)The Role of Diabetes Health Care Professionals in Diabetes Discrimination Issues at Work and School, Diabetes Spectrum Volume 15, Number 4, 217-221. Faces of Genetic Discrimination, (2004) How Genetic Discrimination Affects Real People Published by National Partnership for Women & Families on behalf of the Coalition for Genetic Fairness. Washington. Health Encyclopedia, (2007) Juvenile Diabetes Choicemedia, Inc. Retrieved March 10, 2007, from http://www.diabeticlife.org/ms/ency/544/main.html Juvenile Diabetic.com, (N.D.) What is Diabetes? Retrieved March 10, 2007, from http://www.juvenilediabetic.com/diabetes.html Medical Encyclopedia, (2007) Type 1 diabetes Retrieved March 10, 2007, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000305.htm#Definition Read More