By Oliver Shane

Welcome back! It’s that time of year again — finals! If you’re a lucky elementary school student, this blog may not be relevant to you. But if you’re in middle school, high school, or college, you’re likely preparing for the world to test your knowledge and skills. Okay, maybe not the entire world, but your teachers will certainly want to see what you’ve learned this year. And if you’re heading off to college, prospective schools will also take note. As a high school student taking rigorous courses, I know all too well the challenges of long, demanding tests, as do many of my classmates.

However, my challenges don’t end there — I also have type 1 diabetes, which means I need to be prepared not only as a student, but also as a person with a medical condition. Fortunately, I started preparing for this early on, with my mother holding a 504 meeting with the Exceptional Student education (ESE) coordinator at my high school. The ESE program aims to help students with unique needs.

While I don’t necessarily consider myself “exceptional,” this meeting was critical to my exam performance. When my glucose levels are too high or too low, I struggle to think clearly — and it’s not healthy for me to stay at these levels for long periods of time. To address this, I have the accommodation to start and stop my tests as needed.
This accommodation has been a lifesaver for me. It empowers me to take care of myself so that I can perform at my best. It’s a small but important detail that can make all the difference when it comes to test day.

For instance, when I took the SATs shortly after diagnosis, I did not yet have my accommodations for diabetes. I ended up going high in the middle of the test and wasn’t able to focus for a significant portion of it, which in the end unfortunately affected my score. When I took the test with accommodations, I ended up going low. Instead of pressing on with the test, as I had done the previous time, I stopped and waited until my levels stabilized. This change in my T1D management correlated with an almost 100-point score increase.
Additionally, for clarification, as part of my accommodations, I’m allowed to have my phone on, unsilenced, and in range to listen for any Dexcom alarms. This way, without even looking at my phone screen, I can still tell whether I’m high or low.

Overall, if you are a student with diabetes who doesn’t have any accommodation, I recommend you and your parent or guardian look into working with your school to secure them. It’s important to advocate for yourself, and work with school administrators to identify the appropriate accommodations. It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help — in fact, it’s a sign of strength and self-awareness.

Regardless of who you are, remember that you are capable of great things. Take care of yourself, advocate for your needs, and trust in your abilities. Good luck!

As always, see you next time; from one diabetic to another!