504 plans

We are working on putting together a 504 plan for L before she goes back to school in a few weeks. We went to a ADA (American Diabetes Association) training seminar on this tonight.

A 504 plan is actually Section 504 of the Rehibilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). It is a care procedure document that is created for a student with a disability that the school must follow while your child is in their custody. L goes to a private school, but we are still going to create a 504 plan with them for her.

The ADA has some samples of these on their website http://www.diabetes.org which are helpful. I also like a simple "at-a-glance care plan" that a company called Type 1 Tools makes www.type1tools.com. That one is not a 504 plan, but is great for having in the classroom, or for babysitters.

It is great that the ADA has training available like this. There were about 10 parents there, and it was great to hear their stories (we were the most recently diagnosed family) and get some advice.

On the other hand, I also feel the reality of what parentling a child with a cronic condition is like at evenings like this and feel a little depressed and overwhelmed afterwards. I prefer the days when it feels normal enough not to matter.