Announcements

The College Diabetes Network Announces the Nation’s First Advocacy Initiative in Higher Education 

 

Tackling the Physical and Mental Health Risks Students Face 

(Boston, MA) November 6, 2019: The College Diabetes Network (CDN) is excited to announce the launch of a bold new initiative in higher education to reduce the significant physical and mental health risks students with diabetes face every day – introducing CDN REACHTM. 

A first-of-its-kind advocacy initiative, CDN REACHTM works directly with campus professionals to help them support the needs of students living with diabetes more holistically while also providing a framework for addressing their student populations with other life-altering chronic and invisible diseases. 

College Diabetes Network logo

Young adults with diabetes make life or death medical decisions each and every day. Managing these decisions while navigating campus life and academics is an overwhelming responsibility and one that often leads to depression, anxiety and isolation. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of young adults surveyed by CDN in 2017 reported an increase in depression since starting college. 

CDN REACHTM harnesses the expertise of a coalition of leading organizations across the diabetes and higher education space for a multi-year initiative to: 

  • Build consensus to better support student health and well-being 
  • Develop resources specifically designed for campus professionals 
  • Communicate best practice guidelines and standard protocols 
  • Collaborate on university-specific initiatives and programs. 

”ACHA is pleased to support the critical work of CDN and the expanded services offered to campuses through the CDN REACHTM program. Students with diabetes often time need specialized support and services and we’re grateful that campuses can tap the expertise of CDN through their new program”, Dr. Devin Jopp, CEO of the American College Health Association. 

As the only organization bridging higher education and diabetes, CDN is leveraging its years of work in both spaces to fundamentally change how chronic and invisible diseases are supported on campus. 

“CDN is building on 10 years of experience equipping students and young adults with crucial peer support and resources,” says Christina Roth, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of CDN.

“We are now taking the lead to help campus professionals address the persistent barriers these students continue to face to reduce the risks to student health and to the institutions themselves.” 

We are honored to be joined in this effort by our distinguished Coalition Partners: 

  • American Diabetes Association (ADA) 
  • American College Health Association (ACHA) 
  • Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) 
  • Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education NASPA) 
  • JDRF 
  • Beyond Type 1 and Beyond Type 2 
  • National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators NCBDE) 
  • National Diabetes Volunteer Leadership Council (NDVLC) 
  • diaTribe 
  • Children with Diabetes (CWD) 
  • Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition (DPAC) 
  • Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) 
  • American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) 
  • Mary Christie Foundation 

As part of this launch, CDN is releasing three new campus resources developed for campus professionals and in conjunction with our Campus Advisory Council: 

  1. A Guide for Student Health Services
  2. A Guide for Student Disability Services
  3. A Guide for Student Counseling Services 

These resources will be available for free digital download at www.cdnreach.org, with a limited number of hardcopy materials available via order form while supplies last. These materials are provided at no cost to campuses and administrators due to the generous support of our sponsors. 

The launch of CDN REACHTM is supported by CDN corporate sponsors Lilly Diabetes, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Xeris Pharmaceuticals. 

For media inquiries, contact Sarah Twomey

(617) 313-2447, sarah@collegediabetesnetwork.org

About the College Diabetes Network (CDN): 

The College Diabetes Network (CDN), a non-profit organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, is the only organization that speaks to, and for, the young adult population with diabetes. Our mission is singularly focused on providing these young adults with the peer connections they value, and expert resources they need to successfully manage the challenging transition to independence at college and beyond. 

For more information, please visit www.collegediabetesnetwork.org or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @CollegeDiabetes. 

College Diabetes Network | 50 Milk Street, 16th Floor | Boston, MA 02109 | info@collegediabetesnetwork.org 

New Book Release

From the Periphery: Real-Life Stories of Disability

By Pia Justesen| Published by Chicago Review Press, distributed by IPG

Price: $18.99 (CAN $25.99) | ISBN: 9781641601580 | Trade Paper

6 x 9 | 20 B/W photos | 336 pages

 

Available at bookstores everywhere and through IPG: 1-800-888-4741 | www.ipgbook.com 

CHICAGO, IL—People with disabilities account for nearly 15% of the global population, making them the largest minority on the planet. Despite their numbers, their stories often go unheard, failing to resonate in the universal consciousness.

            In From the Periphery: Real-Life Stories of Disability (Chicago Review Press, Oct 1, 2019), human rights expert Pia Justesen, PhD, brings these stories to light. Inspired by the oral histories of Studs Terkel and Svetlana Aleksijevitj, Justesen conducted more than 40 extensive interviews, allowing people with a wide range of disabilities to share their experiences of being treated differently by society. Their stories speak to the physical barriers presented by the environment they live in, and the attitudinal barriers faced in daily interactions. Justesen captures the storytellers’ raw emotion in intimate portraits of both visible and invisible disabilities, showcasing how her subjects’ lives can be better understood, rather than pitied.

            These tales of disability oppression and exclusion are buoyed by insights on positive coping and the power felt by the people telling them. Their voices shine through humor, strength and independent spirit.

            Readers will hear from Rachel, whose middle school friends abandoned her because they found it too difficult to communicate with the deaf. Candace doesn’t fear that no man will see past her cerebral palsy, she fears she’ll never trust a man who says he does. Growing up, Mike couldn’t board a bus with his wheelchair and wondered what that meant about his value as a person. He felt he needed to prove his humanity to the world. These stories demonstrate the everyday obstacles faced, and overcome, by individuals in the disability community.

            From the Periphery features eye-opening personal narratives destined to change how one perceives our social constructs and built environment. Justesen explores the intersection of race, class and disability, providing a guide to shift America’s collective attitude towards understanding, inclusivity and equality.

            A portion of the revenue generated from books sales will be donated to Access Living, an organization at the forefront of the disability rights movement.

 

About the Author:

Pia Justesen, PhD, is a Danish human rights lawyer, professor and writer who moved to the United States in 2014. In Chicago she has taught disability rights at the University of Illinois and worked with the independent living organization Access Living. She has an extensive list of publications on human rights and discrimination issues. Her work focuses specifically on the human rights of racial minorities and persons with disabilities. She lives in Evanston, IL. Find Pia online at www.piajustesen.com or on Facebook @storiesfromtheperiphery.

Periphery book cover