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Thanks so much to everyone for the many helpful and informative replies. We have made some progess since my post after finally reaching the Director of Disabled Students on campus.  She seems very receptive to our needs and willing to advocate for us with the dining hall staff.  An initial meeting re: the medical concerns and  dietary needs has been set for this week.  (so far so good.) 

  In summary;  yes, CD is covered by the Amer. with Disabilities Act,  since celiac is a disease which substantially affects a life activity, (i.e.- eating.)  The college is required to make a good faith effort to provide a reasonable accommodation so that the student can have equal access to the services in a dining hall as all other students do. (US Dept. of Labor)  The importance of communicating directly with the Dean of Student Affairs or the Dir. of Students with Disabilities is the critical factor is getting the wheels in motion. (If you have a dietician on campus it would be good to include them also to help in communicating with the dining hall staff.)  If this doesn't accomplish results,  the advice is to keep going up the hierarchy to the President of the college, documenting in a letter who you've spoken to and the results (or lack thereof) which you've obtained.  If you are ignored,  don't hesitate to seek legal counsel or contact Dept. of Educ. (Office of Civil Rights) @800-421-3481. No one wants the situation to become adversarial because at that point you may have won the battle but lost the war.  Even after an arrangement is in place you still may need to be vigilant, as there is often high turnover in kitchen staff or simple lack of communication.  If all else fails, a change in schools may be a viable option, since there are colleges who have programs in place to accommodate celiacs (Illinois State Univ.) :www.studentaffairs.ilstu.edu/newsletter/Campus_Dining.shtml.   I've also been told that the following colleges have successfully accommodated their children: Gettysburg College, Barnard College, Skidmore College, Va. Tech, Iowa State, Union  College, Univ. of Mich., Univ. of Minn., and Univ. of Northern Iowa.  Kudos to them all! 

  Negotiating a reasonable accommodation will most likely require lots of flexibility from both the student and dining hall staff and the range of accommodations seems to vary from- the student having all GF meals prepared in the dining hall, to the student having a dorm room with a kitchenette nearby so that they can do their own cooking.  In the latter case, the school exempts them from having to participate in the meal plan altogether and they are usually allowed to have a microwave, rice cooker, fridge, etc. in their room.  Some students tell me they are allowed to have space in the dining hall freezer to store their GF foods, and have access to it anytime the kitchen is open- and have a "dedicated" toaster to prepare their own waffles, bagels, etc.  Some  meet on a weekly basis with the chef to go over the upcoming menu and make selections.  This gives the staff  time to check ingredients and/or provide an alternate choice.   Lots of variations,  and whatever works well for each individual seems to be the rule.  

Some great practical advice can also be found in Sprue-Nik Press (Nov. '99) "College Bound for Celiac" by Mahood, Paley, and Rinehart.  Another helpful site@ http://forums.delphiforums.com/celiac/start  A million thanks for all the support!

Warm regards,
Karen & Tom Labutta  
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* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *