I love your thoughts!
We only have a year under our belt. But, to me, getting a discount because you are diabetic is saying F.U. to diabetes 
It means: āyou thought you were getting me down, but look at this ā thanks to you I am getting in for free in a bunch of National Parks this summer. F.U., Diabetes!ā
I think it largely depends on age. A young kid would likely have no interest, understanding, or thoughts on the matter. When boys (and I assume girls) reach their preteen years they start spending a lot of time evaluating their place in the world and searching for their self-identityā¦ at that point in my own life, it would have been a bad message for meā¦
I have 45 years. And I totally agree with your sentence - āAccepting a discount because Iām diabetic would be anathema to my entire being.ā
This perspective is interesting to me. Our diagnoses were about a year apart, we are from the same general time-frame of huge needles, beef and pork insulin, and pee tests!
All of these things certainly helped create our perspective. Which is why I made the comment of how our perspectives are shaped.
@Eric I think one thing that shaped us is how well we both survived on our own under what are by todayās standards primitive therapies. There were no online support groups (there was not even an āonlineā 
) to make it easier or more understandable for us. It was just buck up or die. We really only had parents or spouses (doctors were really not much help, but thatās another thread) to try to help us along.
Maybe thatās part of the reason they give a medal to 50 year PWDās, because there are really not that many of them.
Hopefully sites like this one will dramatically change all of that.
Maybe I am too pessimistic, but I doubt I will get my teen kids to go with me to a national park when the time comes. At that age I didnāt even want to go to restaurants with my parents because I was constantly embarrassed by their perfectly normal behavior. Maybe thatās a teen girl thing? I said no to a trip to Spain because it involved spending prolonged periods of time with my parents.
Not announcing to a park ranger that your child is disabled and therefore your entrance is free might significantly reduce the likelihood of your future teenager being embarrassed by you at the timeā¦
You donāt have to announce anything. You give them a card that they swipe and thatās the end of it? You announce the disability once, upon application, and then never again, because itās for life.
If only we had a preteen on the forum who could share their thoughtsā¦
@TiaG, we have been camping with our kids 4-5 weeks every summer all around the US every year for the past 8 years, hitting some national parks every year. My older son is 18, and has come with us every year. In fact, he has got to like it so much that, this spring break, he went camping on his own with a friend to Yosemite.
So donāt lose hope!
First, Iād like to note how nice (and perplexingā½) it is to read such diverse perspectives without fear of censorship from heavy-handed admin.
That saidā¦
"Submitted by admin on Mon, 04/17/2017 - 16:58
The Access Pass may be issued to U.S. citizens or permanent residents of any age that have been medically determined to have a permanent disability (does not have to be a 100% disability) that severely limits one or more major life activities.
A permanent disability is a permanent physical, mental, or sensory impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working."
Again, I see no mention of diabetes or any other condition. If one has diabetes with no complications, the diagnosis code is different than those who suffer complications. If a physician makes a written statement which conflicts with the patientās diagnosis code, that might very well be construed as fraud.
With all due respect, and I truly mean that (!), @michel ā I cannot fathom the rationale ā that you would be saying āF.U., Diabetes.ā
What youād actually be saying is āF.U., National Park Service.ā (Which has a $12 billion maintenance backlog.)
honestly, I have PTSD on behalf of my parents for how terrible I was in my teens, so I am just basing my future expectations on that experience.
@Sam, this is total hogwash First, you donāt say anything to the park ranger, you just give your card. And second, if youāve ever traveled with a teen, youāll know that they are in the back, with their headphones on, totally oblivious to all you say and do ā and you have to SCREAM to get them to actually notice something outsideā¦
My son, who is 12, is on the forum.
When I told him he could get a free pass for life, he was thrilled! His only concern, he told me, was that he would accidentally lose his card in the first week (teens lose their stuff everywhere)
Iād be shocked to get ANY respect around here! So I will take that as humor
The rationale is ā āDiabetes, you are trying to kill me every day ā but our A1C is xx.x% despite all your efforts, and, thanks to you, I am even getting into the national parks for free! So, F.U., Diabetes!ā
I agree that itās hogwash rationaleā¦ but these types of thoughts are real in the developing minds of many young people
Thatās one way to say F.U. But other ways would be for him to become class Valedictorian. Or class president. Or winning the state high school championship in 100m freestyle. Or when he is older, to become the first Type 1 to complete the 90 mile open-water Cuba to Florida swim.
There are a lot of ways to say F.U. Some last a short time. But some of them will last a lifetime. The hard and difficult things will take him a lifetime of preparation. But it is exactly that preparation and overcoming the disease that are most meaningful.
Anybody that wins a championship is a badass. But when a diabetic does it, he is 10x the badass. I hope to encourage the young ones associated with this forum to be the 10x ones.
So interesting, how this thread morphed into a different but fascinating theme!
I think the key phrase is
(does not have to be a 100% disability).
The fact is that diabetes does severely limit walking, seeing and caring for oneself some of the time (i.e. during lows, sometimes during highs).
Anyways you didnāt need a doctorās note from what the park ranger said. And my guess is that thereās a list of conditions that, as a default, always count as a disability and others where they need to be determined on a case-by-case, but in any case, I didnāt get the impression that this is intended to be a narrow and stringent requirement.
Also, not to make this political, but it seems to me that a more obvious āF.U. Natāl Park Serviceā statement is voting for politicians who want to slash its budget by 12 percent. Iām happy to support the National Parks by donating money, calling my rep, voting for increased funding wherever I can. I donāt see a valid use of park pass as defrauding them at all. Iāll buy a t-shirt in the gift shop and make up fro the fee
Are we not allowed to say F.U. Diabetes in multiple ways? Iām all for making Class Valedictorian, but donāt avoid the little things too.
I see it like low treatments. Diabetes sucks in that my kid really doesnāt just gorge on ginormous mega-muffins from a coffee shop while sipping on juice and eating a bagel like some of the kids we see in the neighborhood. Thereās really no such thing as āmindless eatingā for him ā either he or we will have to think about it.
But, the tiny silver lining is when he has a low he damn well gets to eat some little thing he likes, whether itās M&Ms, juice chocolate milk or a popsicle, and all of us have a little treat party with him. Itās not a huge way of being defiant in the face of the disease but itās taking a little moment and saying āeven this I will turn into something positive.ā
Is that a huge accomplishment? Nah. But it does make a difference. Just like free stuff makes a difference too.
That IS a huge accomplishment! Your child is learning eating habits that will make him healthier his entire life. And, almost as important, he is learning that a treat is no longer a treat if he gets it every day.
This is a wonderful thing to do. I never eat glucose tabs, I always eat stuff that I like. That is a great thing for him!
I think there are many ways to say F.U. And I know there is a financial burden. I imagine that with the possible exception of @docslotnick, I have spent more money on the disease than anyone here. So I understand the money aspect of it.
My point is that some of the ways you beat it are more meaningful. But using it as a ticket for a pass or for an exception is a potentially slippery slope. It can become too easy. I didnāt do well on my test because of my BG. I didnāt do a good job on my project because of my BG. You just have to make sure that is doesnāt become a reason or an excuse or an exception for what you have to do. Thatās the point I am trying to emphasize.
Diabetes just means you have to work harder than anyone else. I accept that challenge. I donāt want any special treatment because of it.