2774-LB: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Diabetes Technology Access for Blind and Low Vision People with Diabetes

Introduction and Objective: Advances in diabetes technology, insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, and mobile health applications, have significantly improved diabetes management and clinical outcomes. However, these technologies are inaccessible for people who are blind or have low vision. Minimal research has examined how people with vision loss navigate diabetes treatment. This study aimed to characterize diabetes treatment and diabetes technology usage among people with vision loss. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was shared with people with diabetes in the blind online community. Inclusion criteria: 18 years or older, diabetes diagnosis, and vision loss diagnosis. A total of 182 participants completed the survey. Descriptive statistics and correlations were calculated. Participants had a mean age = 44.4 years, mean diabetes duration = 11.99 years, and blindness duration = 9.49 years. Most participants had type 2 diabetes (71.4%) and 28.5% had type 1 diabetes. Results: Over half of the sample (53.8%) reported multiple disabilities. Most (85.7%) used insulin, 44.3% used multiple daily injections, 25.8% used insulin pumps, 62.1% were prescribed glucagon, and 51.9% reported SGLT-2 use. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity was associated with more DKA events (r = .206, p = .006), lower use of vision assistive technology (r = -.213, p = .005), and less braille usage (r = -.206, p = .006). Age was associated with reduced use of vision assistive technology (r = -.263, p = .001). Additionally, White race (r = .242, p = .003) and having a guide dog (r = .168, p = .039) were positively associated with vision assistive technology use. Conclusion: Blind and low vision people with diabetes demonstrate varied treatment patterns and differences in access to assistive and diabetes-related technologies. Ethnicity, race, age, and disability may influence technology adoption and diabetes management strategies. Future interventions should improve accessibility and ensure equitable access to diabetes technology for this population. Disclosure A.S. Hughes: None. B. Patel: None. N.M. Heydarian: None.