Young diabetes patients require 6-7 insulin injections/boluses a day, and check their blood sugar level several times daily. Educational facilities often refuse to accept diabetic pupils, or force parents to accompany children or to come in for blood sugar level checks and/or insulin administration. As a result, one parent has to resign from work; families begin experiencing financial issues. The Federation’s 2013 research proves that 69% of kindergartens and 49% of schools in the Małopolska voivodship have none of the four skills required to take care of diabetic children; 82% facilities have not been trained in any way.
The project purpose was to prevent the exclusion and discrimination of diabetic children in kindergarten and school access by providing proper training to educational facilities.
The project allowed 4,787 teachers at 546 facilities to learn how to work with diabetic children. Structured training (197 courses) was delivered to teachers of facilities attended by diabetics. Thirty diabetes educators attended an anti-discrimination workshop session. Educational materials on peer discrimination of diabetics were developed, with 75 workshops delivered for 1,600 teachers. A report containing parent opinions on diabetics’ access to educational facilities and on the quality of kindergarten and school reception was produced. Efforts were made to change legislation concerning the acceptance of diabetic children by educational facilities: a meeting was organised with representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Polish Diabetes Association, members of parliament, the Patients Ombudsman, and Government Plenipotentiary for Disabled People. Teacher manuals on working with diabetic children were updated and extra copies printed.
Project beneficiaries included 4,787 teachers.
The project partner – www.mojacukrzyca.org – helped promote the project and hold a questionnaire study.