If your child has Type 1 Diabetes, a 504 Plan ensures they get the support and accommodations they need at school to stay safe, healthy, and included.
What is a 504 Plan? It’s a legal plan under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act that protects students with disabilities—including T1D—so they have equal access to education.
What can be included? Blood sugar checks anytime, anywhere Access to snacks, water, and the bathroom as needed Permission to carry supplies (glucose tabs, insulin, CGM, etc.) Nurse or trained staff to give insulin/glucagon Make-up time for missed tests/assignments due to highs/lows Safe testing environments (e.g., no tests during low BG) and more- click on the sample plans below
Pro Tip: Meet with your child’s school early in the year and put everything in writing—verbal agreements aren’t enough.
Don’t let “they’ll be fine without it” talk you out of it—504 Plans are about protecting your child’s rights, not special treatment.
504 Plan Examples You don’t have to figure it out alone—advocacy groups like Breakthrough T1D (opens in a new tab) and ADA (opens in a new tab) can help (click to access their 504 plans page). We also attended a conference and had a few sessions with Daniel Phelan. Check out his page Type 1 Action (opens in a new tab) for more information about rights at school and workplace. Here is a 504 plan example (opens in a new tab) from his site too.
