July 22, 2000
Other Social Issues
Question from Virginia, USA:
Can a person with type 1 diabetes attend a military collage or a police academy?
Answer:
The Air Force Academy does not accept cadets with diabetes and I would imagine that this holds true for the other major service academies. I don’t know what the position might be at V. M. I. The police academy here does accept diabetic cadets provided they can pass a rather tough physical examination; but this may not hold for these institutions nationally. I think that your best plan would be to contact the cadet admissions office at the places you are interested in.
DOB
Additional comments from Dr. Larry Deeb:
I have a good friend who has type 1 diabetes, and who is a SWAT member to boot.
LD
[Editor’s comment: I just spoke with the admissions officer at West Point, the Army military academy, and was told that people with diabetes are not accepted for enrollment. While I have not confirmed that this is the policy at the Naval and Air Force academies, it is likely that people with diabetes are also excluded from them.
I know several police officers who have Type 1 diabetes and had it before they joined the force, so at least some police academies accept people with Type 1 diabetes.
JSH]
