In the past, engineers trained at the School of Mines had to descend into the depths of the earth to practice their profession. This required having perfect vision to scan the underground galleries. Today, this is no longer the case, but the regulations still prohibit diabetics – often faced with visual impairment – from entering this school.
A societal injustice which is added to an injustice of life, denounce today the representatives of the patients. This is why the French Federation of Diabetics is launching, this Monday, an online petition so that these patients “can choose the jobs of their dreams”.
Sailor, air hostess, SNCF controller, social security controller, the list of prohibitions is long and, very often, unfounded. Alizée Agier can testify to this. World karate champion, this 22-year-old woman has passed and passed all the competitions and tests to become a police officer. His dream will finally come true. But she failed the medical visit because of her diabetes.
This kind of testimonials, Gérard Raymond, the president of the Federation, counts them by the hundreds. Among the four million diabetics, many are victims of discrimination in training, to obtain a position or even are subject to unfair dismissal, explain your daily newspapers.
“Diabetes is a chronic disease, not a handicap”, insists Dr. Marc de Kerdanet, diabetologist pediatrician and president of Aid for Young Diabetics (AJD). Legislation dating back several decades is totally disconnected from therapeutic progress and current working conditions. Misrepresentations and ignorance of the disease make any evolution impossible, explains the text of the petition.
By questioning the President of the Republic and the politicians within the framework of the presidential campaign, the associations hope to move the lines. “Of course, some professions will be more difficult to access, recognizes Gérard Raymond, but each case should be studied by a transparent commission bringing together all the players: professionals, doctors, patient associations, scientific experts”.
“I make a wish: to choose the job of my dreams with my diabetes” therefore sounds like a call to reason.
