Recommendations for Desirable Features of Adaptive Diabetes Self-Care Equipment for Visually Impaired Persons

The Task Force on Adaptive Diabetes Education for Visually Impaired Persons (ADEVIP) met at Cleveland Sight Center on 23–25 April 1993 for a consensus development meeting (1). This project brought together a multidisciplinary group of professionals who have expertise in working with visually impaired people who have diabetes. Building on the work of the 1988 National Task Force on Diabetes and Vision Impairment, the Task Force on ADEVIP addressed a number of issues that affect diabetes care for people who live with both diabetes and visual impairment. In the U. S., between 15,000 and 39,000 people with diabetes become blind each year (2). One recent estimate was as high as 47,000 (R. Brechner, unpublished observation). With numbers of this magnitude, these concerns are not of trivial significance.