I am 24 and have been type 1 diabetic for thirteen years. Throughout my student life, I worked part-time in the retail and hospitality sectors; roles in these high pressure environments are often unavoidable for young people balancing studies and paying rent. Throwing a disability into this mix only makes for even more of a challenge. Most people with a disability are sadly used to ignorant comments made in passing, but one particular incident has stuck with me as it is one of the few times I have ever been truly angered by a colleague’s remarks. Whilst on an evening shift in a busy department store, I had taken a moment to test my blood sugar and eat a snack in the staff room after a rocky shift plagued with low blood sugar episodes, or ‘hypos’. Feeling flustered from the drop in blood sugar and having already had to treat a previous episode on the same shift, my supervisor swung her head round the door and tutted. “Have you not got that under control yet?” I was stunned. The ignoran
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