…….and the answer is, who is Crystal Jackson.
Clearly Crystal is part of a great team effort at the American Diabetes Association’s constant battles to protect the rights of people with diabetes in the work place, at school and in many other arenas. As a mom to a child with T1, Crystal’s efforts are monumental to make sure that no injustice is left behind and she works tirelessly at it. This soft-spoken mom is a lion in her efforts and she is THE authority to all of us parents who seek information about school-place injustices and procedures.
She not only ‘does her job’ but will lecture/help advocate from large auditoriums of people down to a one-on-one conversation to help solve the problem. It is clear to many people who, when you say 504 plan, Crystal Jackson’s face appears in your mind. When you say ‘checking blood sugar or glucagon in schools’; Crystal’s face appears again. If there was an injustice at any school in the nation need resolution, you can bet that Crystal Jackson was part of the answer.
To be clear, she is the first one to say that it is a team effort from individuals who step-up to her colleagues at the ADA; and no one would argue that point as the ADA houses lawyers and advocates for the disabled across the board in a concentrated unified effort to help those in need; but in the diabetes community when a parent asks for help, the name Crystal Jackson is the name given.
Her Bio from the ADA:
Manager of Legal Advocacy at the American Diabetes Association’s National Office in Alexandria, Virginia, and a parent of a child with diabetes. Crystal, a former litigation paralegal, is a long-time ADA volunteer and joined ADA’s legal advocacy staff in 1999 after she successfully lobbied the Virginia General Assembly for the passage of school diabetes care legislation that has resulted in improved standards of care for students with diabetes. Advocating on behalf of her daughter, Crystal achieved a model OCR resolution agreement for the care of student’s with diabetes in the Loudoun County (VA) School District.
Crystal has contributed to many diabetes publications including the National Diabetes Education Program’s school guide
Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel and is a frequent guest speaker at nationwide family diabetes conferences and camps. Crystal is a member the Virginia Diabetes Council.
For Diabetes Awareness Month:
This month, I will be highlighting someone in the diabetes community. They may be people you know, or might not know, but they give of themselves to make this world, our world, with diabetes a special place. I will not get to everyone this month, but it is my hope that perhaps you can be introduced to some of those you may not know.
I’m certainly not the definitive on who should be included….you are. If you think I should include someone, shoot me an email at tkarlya@drif.org and I will do what I can to include that person as well. Welcome to diabetes awareness month.
I am a diabetes dad.
Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.