Dining-based Accommodations

Requesting Dining Accommodations

For students in need of disability-related dining accommodations, OARS and Dining Services are eager to work with you to plan for your nutritional needs.

1. Register: Your first step is to register with OARS if you have never requested services through our office. If you are already registered with OARS, submit an Additional Accommodation request through the OARS portal.
2. Request: OARS will review your request and required supporting documentation. Your documentation from a care provider must provide record of a disability that substantially limits your ability to equally participate in standard dining options available on campus.
3. Review: After reviewing your completed case file, OARS will send you a Dining Accommodations Information Request to determine if dining services can meet your particular needs. Before you can be approved for Dining Accommodations, you must submit this form, which OARS will share to consult with Dining Services about capacity to meet your individual dining needs.

To consult with Director of Dining Michael Bobb directly with general dining availability questions, please email mdbDC@hampshire.edu.

Meeting Dietary Needs

Hampshire College dining does not operate a gluten free kitchen on campus that can produce food without risk of gluten contamination. Whenever possible, dining services makes food options without gluten to accommodate those following a gluten free diet. Such food is labeled as “mwg” or “made without gluten.”

Students who require highly specific or restricted dietary plans to meet their needs may not qualify for dining accommodations through Hampshire dining services, and may need to work with the OARS office to instead medically qualify for kitchen access in their assigned housing, or for a housing release for off-campus living.

Concerned that your dietary needs are not currently being met on campus? We encourage you to work with dining services and OARS staff to discuss a plan that can best support your food access.

Meal Exchange

If a student has purchased a full meal plan and needs access to dining at another Five College institution because they are attending a course during meal times, they can request access to dine on the host campus as a courtesy using a Five College meal exchange. Visit the Dining Commons Office or email Jennifer Black at jbDC@hampshire.edu with your class schedule to request a meal exchange. Please refer to the Hampshire Student Handbook for additional information about dining and meal plans.

Meal Plan Modifications

Meal plan modifications are based on the level of support the dining commons can provide to accommodate your dietary needs. If the dining commons isn't able to meet your dietary needs and you are registered with a qualifying disability, you may be eligible for a meal plan reduction.

Meal Plan Exemption

An exemption from the meal plan can be implemented only due to a disability-related inability to reasonably make use of the card or on-campus dining options.  This accommodation is given to students only after all avenues of accommodations have been discussed with OARS.