#DIYDiabetes: Type One Diabetes, Stigma, and Control in Digital Networks of DIY Looping

Authors

Sophia M. Shelley, Wilfrid Laurier UniversityFollow

Keywords

type one diabetes, DIY diabetes, technography, looping, community networks, disability, patient agency, healthcare systems, technology

Document Type

Main Theme / Tema Central

Abstract

The general public’s awareness of type one diabetes is often lacking and filled with misinformation that can lead to stigma around the disability. Often type one diabetics have to fend for themselves through the means of “DIY diabetes.” The delay in technological innovations and the slow approval rate of Health Canada, compared to the US Food and Drug Administration, makes improving the lives of those with diabetes much more challenging. The self-management of the disability enables diabetics to take agency of their treatment plan and is the primary reason for DIY diabetes. The main reason for this research is to bring awareness to the praxis of disability studies and diabetes representation in academic literature. There is a gap between understanding the theory of disability and recognizing disability praxis in popular culture. A central problem to this gap is the disparities between the diabetes community and Canadian and US institutions in self-management. Here I provide a technography, or a study of how technology functions in society, on DIY Loop and other DIY diabetes in North America. I show that, despite government reluctance to approve medical devices for disabilities, DIY diabetes is improving diabetes management and how the network of the diabetes community evolves with its ingenuity.

Recommended Citation

Shelley, Sophia M. (2025) "#DIYDiabetes: Type One Diabetes, Stigma, and Control in Digital Networks of DIY Looping," Culture, Society, and Praxis: Vol. 17: No. 2, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/csp/vol17/iss2/1