Because people who have both diabetes and visual impairment have high risk for foot problems, prevention of ulcers and amputation is a high priority. Usual care in diabetes self-management education (DSME) is to teach them to seek sighted assistance for regular foot examination, yet clinical experience suggests that this advice is seldom heeded. One possible solution is to teach use of the nonvisual senses of touch and smell for a systematic, thorough foot self-examination. The purpose of this pilot study was to compare the efficacy, acceptability, and feasibility of nonvisual foot examination with usual care (examination of the visually impaired person's feet by a sighted family member or friend).

Inclusion Criteria:

• over age 18
• diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• stated they had visual impairment

Exclusion Criteria:

• unable to pass a brief decisional capacity test
• had a score above 80 on the near vision scale of the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire
• had bilateral lower extremity amputations
• by self-report were unable to sense light touch on two or more fingers or either hand