In conjunction with the Office for Disability and Access, AVI Foodsystems will have a new accommodated meal plan beginning fall 2026. Rather than providing a 50-swipe meal plan to students with dining accommodations, the ODA will work with each student to determine an individualized meal plan.

The current accommodated meal plan allows students 50 dining hall swipes, according to Director of Media Relations Andrea Simakis. This is significantly lower than even the smallest standard plan — the Cardinal Meal Plan, which provides 105 swipes per semester. On a smaller and cheaper meal plan, students with severe allergies or conditions such as celiac disease — an autoimmune condition in which the immune system is falsely activated by gluten — would ideally have the financial flexibility to purchase and cook their own meals. 

Students requiring accommodations will now meet with the ODA to discuss a more individualized plan. Simakis outlined the new plan in an email to the Review.

“This change will provide greater flexibility to address the myriad dietary and other health needs of students and help us better tailor each meal plan more effectively,” Simakis wrote. 

Director for the ODA T.C. Schneck asserted that students with dining accommodations have always been required to meet with a member of the ODA staff to personalize their meal plan. 

“The ODA reviews all accommodation requests on an individual basis,” Schneck wrote in an email to the Review. “Determinations are made in conjunction with the student and are based on the student’s self-report, supporting documentation, and what is reasonable within the context of the institution. While there may be accommodations that are commonly approved, all accommodations, including dining-related accommodations, are individualized and based on the specific disability-related barriers a student experiences.” 

It is unclear whether there will be a noticeable difference between the current accommodation policy and the one planned for fall 2026. 

In an opinion piece in May 2024, Emma Ledger, OC ’24, recounted her experience with the ODA when she asked for living and dining accommodations for celiac disease and her request was turned down (“ODA Needs Reality Check,” The Oberlin Review, May 10, 2024). Quoting from celiac.org, she mentioned that the disease is listed as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Based on this law, Oberlin College is required to accommodate me,” Ledger wrote. “However, when I filed for accommodations as a sophomore, I was only met with pushback from ODA staff members.”

Ledger mentioned that ODA staff were “condescending” and denied her request to be exempt from the meal plan. 

College second-year Lucy Goebel has housing and dining accommodations. In comparison to Ledger, she has found individuals at the ODA to be supportive despite challenges presented by College-wide policy.

 “As a woman with a disability who grew up in the healthcare system, I’ve already had a system work against me,” Goebel said. “I don’t need my college to do that as well.”

Resident Director of AVI at Oberlin College Sarirose Hyldahl encouraged students to reach out to dining services with questions and concerns. 

“Many needs can be met through our existing program, but we have also developed more creative options to help with overcoming other, more unique barriers,” Hyldahl wrote in an email to the Review. “Aside from working with ODA, we welcome any student to contact us.”