Join the growing movement to put an end to diabetes stigma. Collectively, we can make a difference!
“Audacious change is both exciting and challenging, and – let’s not forget – possible!
We have seen time and time again that success can be achieved in large scale social movements from marriage equality to the eradication of polio.”
– Kelly Close, Founder, The diaTribe Foundation & President, Close Concerns
Make A Difference.
Sign the Pledge to End Diabetes Stigma
In 2023, 51 experts and advocates from all over the globe drafted the Pledge to End Diabetes Stigma.
Let’s change our language
Use person-centered, supportive language about people with diabetes.
Harness the power of narrative framing and storytelling to help us reduce diabetes stigma.
Share dStigmatize with others
Share this resource with your healthcare team, colleagues, employer, and the people in your life who don’t have diabetes.
Share
Amplify The Message!
If you write or talk about diabetes, you help shape how our culture talks and thinks about diabetes and how people with diabetes are treated. Here are some targeted actions to help make an impact in your sphere of influence.
What we can do as
Members of the extended care team including physicians, nurses, medical assistants, educators, nutritionists, and other health professionals.
- Explore our collection of resources for health professionals.
- Use strengths-based, empowering language to enhance the motivation, health, and well-being of people with diabetes. Check out our dStigmatize Language Guide.
- Read and use the language guidance published by ADCES.
- Check our Resources page for research insights on stigma in healthcare.
- Talk about the importance of reducing stigma, starting with language. If you give talks related to diabetes, feel free to download and add these slides to your presentation.
People in marketing and communications, corporate communications, public relations, learning and development, and technical communications roles.
- Evaluate your existing communications using the dStigmatize Communications Checklist.
- Talk with your colleagues about how the global #LanguageMatters movement is growing and is changing the conversation around diabetes in the US and other countries. Use our Language Matters Discussion Guide to inform your workplace conversations.
- Adopt person-centered, non-judgmental language as part of your organization’s style guidelines or editorial policy. diaTribe is committed to being person-centric and stigma-free and we offer this example from our own editorial policy and encourage you to use it as a guide for your own publication.
- Help change the narrative around diabetes. This brief, which comes from a collaborative effort between The FrameWorks Institute and diaTribe, offers five actionable reframing recommendations that will help you shift the way you talk about diabetes.
- Share these resources with peers in other organizations.
People in news organizations, freelance journalists and editors, writers and producers, bloggers and influencers.
Ensure that people with diabetes are represented fairly, accurately, and in the context of a full life and consult with people who live with diabetes to help inform the stories and messages you create.
- Interacting with the Diabetes Online Community is a great way to connect with people.
- Helpful Facebook groups: diaTribe, diaTribe Community Dialogue, Children with Diabetes, Diabetes Strong, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes Support Group Global Network
- Consult with experts who understand the complexity of diabetes including: diaTribe, ADA, ADCES, and HARO.
- Adopt person-centered, non-judgmental language as part of your organization’s style guidelines or editorial policy.
- Use the ADCES Media Guide and Language Guide as resources
- In a collaboration with Beyond Type 1, we created A Guide to the Portrayal of Diabetes in Film and Television. This guide provides information on how to accurately portray diabetes on screen, with contemporary media examples.
- In a collaboration with The FrameWorks Institute, we created Changing the Narrative around Diabetes. This short brief offers five actionable reframing recommendations that will help you shift the way you talk about diabetes.
Join the movement.