Dietary Accommodations

OPTIONS ON CAMPUS: 

Students who follow a special diet and feel that Dining Services isn’t meeting their needs are encouraged to first contact dine@ithaca.edu to learn more about resources that Dining Services provides. Examples include: 

1. Meeting with the Executive Chef, Kevin Grant kgrant7@ithaca.edu, to construct a meal or time-based plan to meet the student's dietary requirement.
2. Exploring allergen-free options like Minus 3, Station No. 8, and the gluten-free pantry.
3. Exploring various options like vegan, vegetarian, kosher, grab and go, etc. 

ACCOMMODATION FOR A DISABILITY: 

If you have a documented disability that cannot be mitigated by working with Dining Services, students can request a meal plan accommodation through Student Accessibility Services (SAS). 

Below details how to start the interactive process between the Ithaca College student and Student Accessibility Services when requesting a meal plan accommodation: 

• Fill out the ONLINE REQUEST FORM.
  • Note: This is the same form that is used for housing requests. Even if your requested dietary accommodation would not require a room change, the form labeled "Request for Housing/Dietary/ESA Accommodations" is the correct form to use.
• Meet with a specialist to discuss the request.
  • If you have never worked with SAS before, we will email you a link to schedule your appointment after you fill out the ONLINE REQUEST FORM.
  • If you have worked with SAS before, you are also welcome to use the "My Appointments" page in your STUDENT ACCOMMODATION PORTAL.
• Provide documentation that supports your request to Student Accessibility Services. Please refer to our  Documentation Guidelines.
  • Documentation supporting dietary requests must contain the following criteria:
    • Documentation must be written by a licensed professional.
    • Must include a formal diagnosis that rises to the level of a disability as per ADA guidelines.
    • Contain functional limitations related to the disability (the impact, severity, frequency, and/or pervasiveness of the condition.)
    • Documentation should address why the accommodation requested is a need for the student. 
•  How to submit your supporting documentation:
  • Upload your documentation as part of your ONLINE REQUEST FORM.
    • You can upload this before you submit the form.
    • You can log back into a form you already started, in the SAS Application Center.
      • If your application is a draft, click the button labeled CONTINUE APPLICATION. Remember to submit the application when you're done.
      • If your application has already been submitted, you will see a button labeled VIEW APPLICATION.
  • Professionals can send the documentation to sas@ithaca.edu or fax to our office at (607) 274-3957.
  • Electronically submitted documentation (uploaded or emailed) should be in PDF format and must be smaller than 20 MB.
    • Our system cannot process image files, such as a photo taken with a phone or mobile device.

Do not submit your form or documentation directly to Residential Life. 

Do not submit your form or documentation to the campus health center.   SAS is administratively distinct from CAPS and Student Health Services.  

DIETARY AND HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS 

Depending on the nature of the disability, a student that has an approved meal plan accommodation may need considerations around their housing environment to properly prepare specialized diets or avoid specific allergens.  Students should discuss these needs with a SAS specialist during their appointment.  Additional information may be found on the Housing Accommodation page.