<p>I just want to mention that celiac disease is not an allergy. It is an autoimmune disorder. And those with celiac really cannot have even the most minute amount of gluten: the problem is not “dose dependent.” Exposure to gluten is, for them, destructive for the GI tract and also increases risk of cancer. I am surprised that the writer of this article lumps celiac in with allergies. Many of those who are avoiding gluten these days do not have celiac, but have a “sensitivity.” Celiac disease is most reliably diagnosed by endoscopy/biopsy though blood tests are also used, for screening. [Celiac</a> Disease & Gluten-free Diet Information at Celiac.com](<a href=“http://www.celiac.com/]Celiac”>http://www.celiac.com/)</p>
<p>As for some of the comments on here, it might be useful for you to pick a food and imagine for a day that you cannot be exposed to it. You would be surprised to find that it can be difficult. For instance, shrimp is used in many cooking sauces. Gluten is in soy sauce, gravies, all kinds of foods. Dairy in the form of lactose or casseine is a hidden ingredient. It isn’t as easy as just avoiding a food. It can be done, but it takes effort and vigilance.</p>
<p>Avoiding foods can also pose nutritional challenges.</p>
<p>Most colleges we have contact with already do the things that Lesley is being asked to do. Labelling ingredients is really key to the problem I described above.</p>
<p>I forget that the general public may not understand the term “disability,” which covers many health issues that are invisible, not just people in wheelchairs or who are, say, blind.
The idea really is that everyone should have equal access- including access to food! If something needs to be done to “level the playing field” - or the cafeteria - then it should be done, so that every student can walk in to the dining hall and have a good meal, without fear of reaction. </p>
<p>Otherwise, we end up with a situation in which families and students are choosing schools based on that access to food. If one school is good with these issues and another school isn’t, then the kid will choose the former. It really isn’t fair for choices of schools to be limited in this way, and I have seen that situation quite recently on CC.</p>
<p>Accommodations are not favors: they are intended to make things equal, that’s all.</p>
<p>Here is the settlement, which explains why accommodations are needed to provide equal access to all services of the school; it also explains “disability”: <a href=“http://www.ada.gov/lesley_university_sa.htm[/url]”>http://www.ada.gov/lesley_university_sa.htm</a></p>