Living with diabetes can be challenging enough without facing discrimination in work, educational institutions, or in daily life. In Ireland, people with diabetes are legally protected from discrimination under national equality laws — yet many are unaware of their rights.
This whole section is for guidance only, please refer to the official sites listed below.
Discrimination happens when someone is treated less favourably than others because of a personal characteristic such as having a long-term health condition like:
Fortunately, Ireland has strong equality legislation that protects individuals with diabetes:
You have the right to:
Employers are legally required to make reasonable accommodation for employees with diabetes, unless doing so would cause a significant burden. Most diabetes-related needs, such as breaks to check blood glucose levels or administer insulin, are considered reasonable and low-impact.
Children and students with diabetes are also protected. Schools must:
If a school requires a parent to attend trips or refuses to administer basic diabetes care, it may be acting unlawfully.
For guidance on how schools should care for children with diabetes – read more here.
Visit: www.workplacerelations.ie to learn how to make a complaint.
It would be important in any work/school related complaint to seek the support of your diabetes team and/or trade union representative prior to making a formal/official complaint.
There are limited exceptions to the Employment Equality Acts 1998–2015 in Ireland where an employer may lawfully treat a person with diabetes differently but only under very specific and strictly regulated circumstances.
These exceptions are designed to balance equality with legitimate concerns like public safety, national security, or essential job functions. An employer may be exempt if they can prove that a person’s medical condition (e.g., diabetes) genuinely prevents them from performing essential duties of the role, even with reasonable accommodation.
Certain roles in the:
may lawfully exclude individuals with certain medical conditions, including diabetes.
Contact info@diabetes.ie if you need further information.
Most people with diabetes are employed and may have fulfilling and productive careers until retirement. Nowadays, there are not too many jobs that people with diabetes cannot do, however, as a person living with diabetes, whether newly diagnosed or for some time, you have some rights and responsibilities related to your diabetes. Unfortunately, in some cases, people might experience some difficulties with discrimination or unequal treatment – in that case, please get in touch with Diabetes Ireland and we will try to advise your next steps.
You have the right to:
Employers in Ireland are legally required to make reasonable accommodation for employees with diabetes, unless doing so would cause a significant burden. Most diabetes-related needs, such as breaks to check blood glucose levels or administer insulin, are considered reasonable and low-impact.
There are laws to ensure that a medical condition cannot be used as unfair grounds for refusing you a job or promotion, or for dismissal. One of those acts that we often refer to is Employment Equality Act. This states, for example, that the potential employer cannot use your medical condition to discriminate against you in terms of successfully getting the job.
Diabetes Ireland does not consider diabetes a disability nor do we consider it to have a substantial effect on any person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities.
Diabetes Ireland advocates for equal rights for all workers with diabetes. Diabetes is legally viewed as a disability, because it is a disease that affects a “major life activity.” Recent court rulings have established that eating is a major life activity.
As a person with diabetes, you have certain rights. The right to eat food (either on the job, or to have a reasonable number of breaks to do so) is crucial for people with diabetes. People with diabetes also have the right to monitor their blood glucose levels and administer insulin or medication accordingly. If you work in a public environment, you might ask to have a relatively private space in which to give yourself injections. People with diabetes also need freely available bathroom breaks. As a person with diabetes, you might also request to work regular hours, rather than shift work, if your doctor feels that your glucose control will be made more difficult with changing patterns. However, this is at the discretion of the employer.
A person with diabetes is entitled to time off to attend hospital appointments. However, payment for this time is at the discretion of the employer. Medical information is confidential, and so you do not need to share your medical past with your employer.
You can share what you want, but you should also share what will be needed. The first step is to educate your employer. Explain what the effects of diabetes are and how diabetes can be managed. A person who manages their diabetes will not hold back any team. If anything, we suggest that a person with well-managed diabetes will be a benefit to their workplace, because they have learned organizational skills, self-discipline, and they lead a generally healthier lifestyle which results in fewer sick days.
If you feel that you are not treated equally to your colleagues without diabetes, and that this unfair treatment might be discriminatory, get in touch via our helpline and we will try to advise you about your next steps.
Every child has a right to access school education in Ireland and no child should be left behind.
For Primary School Pupils, the HSE has prepared a comprehensive guideline: Meeting the Care Needs of Primary School Children with Type 1 diabetes. This document refers to the needs of younger children, who rarely can manage their diabetes themselves at school.
Diabetes should never be a barrier to access any type of education and all schools should adapt to be able to meet the needs of children and young people with diabetes.
Students with diabetes sitting State Examinations in Ireland are eligible for support under the Reasonable Accommodations at the Certificate Examinations (RACE) scheme, administered by the State Examinations Commission (SEC). It aims to provide reasonable accommodations that allow these students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills effectively, without compromising the integrity of the assessment. More information can be found here.
These schemes ensure that students with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes are not disadvantaged during exams due to the need for ongoing medical management. Schools apply for these accommodations on behalf of students, typically during 3rd year (Junior Cycle) or 5th/6th year (Leaving Certificate), with supporting medical documentation.
While specific needs vary by individual need, the RACE scheme recognises diabetes as a condition that may require special arrangements such as access to food, drinks and medical supplies, supervised breaks and use of diabetes technology. The process is not automatic, so it’s important for families to engage early with the school and provide evidence of how the student’s diabetes impacts their exam performance. For full information on eligibility and application procedures, refer to the official RACE Guidelines from the State Examinations Commission.
Any person sitting the Leaving Certificate is advised to tick the box on the CAO form for the Disability Access Route Education (DARE) which when submitted with a medical form (just stating you have Type 1 diabetes) permits access to college and automatically incurs extra benefits – reduced points for some courses and access to supports in college.
The DARE scheme, or Disability Access Route to Education, is a third-level alternative admissions scheme in Ireland. It offers reduced points places to school leavers with disabilities who have experienced educational challenges due to their disability and are applying to participating colleges and universities.
