This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project addresses a crisis in the lack of effective glucose monitoring equipment for visually and cognitively impaired diabetics. The proposal thoroughly examines the technical and commercial feasibility of developing innovative technology that enables such patients to reliably use information provided by a state-of-the-art blood glucose meter, using speech output that is coupled with a commercially developed meter. There are currently no state-of-the-art or best-of-breed blood glucose meter systems available in the U.S. market with speech capabilities for use by the cognitively, visually impaired or blind community. The development of such a meter will positively impact the self-management of diabetes mellitus, improving quality of life and clinical outcomes for patients and preventing the development of secondary complications and provide an opportunity to impact a major health problem affecting millions of U.S. citizens
