Through our advocacy, we fight for you. We fight for your right to affordable medications and technology, your right to be treated fairly at work and school, your right to quality health care, and so much more.
Advocacy goals:
- Make insulin affordable and accessible for all who need it
- Promote health equity for at-risk populations affected by diabetes and prediabetes
- Put an end to all forms of diabetes discrimination
- Increase overall funding dedicated to diabetes research and programs
Become a Diabetes Advocate
Use your voice to help people with diabetes thrive. Stand up for diabetes research and programs, health care, insulin affordability, and diabetes prevention, and help support people living with and impacted by diabetes everyday—until we find a cure.
Advocacy Engagement
The American Diabetes Association’s (ADA’s) Engagement Platform makes it easy to use your voice to help support the diabetes community on the issues that matter most. We’ve made it easy for you by creating a pre-written draft letter ready to send!
Share Your Story
At the ADA, we stress the importance of sharing your story because your experience provides a face behind the very real challenges of diabetes. But have you ever wondered what the impact of diabetes is on your state or the national cost of diabetes? That’s where we come in.
Advocacy Resources
The ADA has many resources to help you raise awareness of diabetes and supplement your requests when contacting your elected officials, including those on the following topics:
- Diabetes numbers state by state
- The cost of diabetes
- Diabetes research and program funding
- Care and medication access
- Nutrition
Advocacy at Home Guide
We developed a guide to help you share your story with your social networks, community, and elected officials. Join us and raise awareness of diabetes among your friends, family, and community.
Safe at School Updates
The ADA’s Safe at School® campaign is committed to ensuring students with diabetes are safe, treated fairly, and have full access to all school-sponsored activities such as field trips and after-school clubs. Below are some recent updates, but you can explore more helpful resources on the Safe at School page.
- Diabetes Care in the School Setting: A Statement of the American Diabetes Association: Our statement on diabetes care in schools outlines best practices, legal protections, and the important role of school staff in supporting students with diabetes.
- Updated model 504 Plan: A critical tool that ensures students with diabetes receive the accommodations they need, protects students, and helps schools provide appropriate care.
- Cell phone restrictions at school: More and more schools are implementing policies that restrict cell phone access during the school day. Students may carry our Electronic Devices for Diabetes Management Wallet Card, a quick reference guide outlining their right to use smart devices for diabetes management at school.