Take Action

Join the growing movement to put an end to diabetes stigma.

“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

You can make a difference

All of us have the power to change what we say

  • Use person-centered, supportive language about people with diabetes. Here’s how.
  • Learn about the power of narrative framing, storytelling, and norm-engineering from diaTribe’s Lightning Talks, and how these strategies are going to help us reduce diabetes stigma. Watch the videos here.
  • Share this resource with others: your healthcare provider, colleagues, employer, and the people in your life who don’t have diabetes.

If you write or talk about diabetes, amplify the message

Healthcare, marketing and communications, and media professionals – you help shape how our culture talks and thinks about diabetes and how people with diabetes are treated. Here are some of the steps your colleagues are taking:

Healthcare professionals

Members of the extended care team including physicians, nurses, medical assistants, educators, nutritionists, and other health professionals

Every member of a healthcare team can serve people with diabetes more effectively through a respectful, inclusive, and person-centered approach. 

  • Use strengths-based, empowering language to enhance the motivation, health, and well-being of people with diabetes. See examples and resources.
  • Read and use the language guidance published by ADCES here. Check our Resources page for research insights on stigma in healthcare.
  • Host a workshop for your organization on the importance of language in diabetes care. Jane Dickinson and Susan Guzman are leading researchers and advocates who conduct workshops that educate and empower professionals to reduce diabetes stigma. You can contact Dickinson here, and Guzman here, to learn more about their services.
  • 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.

Communications and marketing professionals

People in marketing and communications, corporate communications, public relations, learning and development, and technical communications roles 

You understand the power of words and rely on their impact. Here are some ways to level-up your diabetes-related communications:

  • Evaluate your existing communications. Here’s a Checklist you can use.
  • 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 this helpful 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.

Media and entertainment professionals

People in news organizations, freelance journalists and editors, writers and producers, bloggers and influencers.

You not only engage and excite people, you shape culture. Through the stories you choose to tell, and the words you use to tell those stories, you can help improve the lives of people with diabetes.