Dining Accommodations
We understand how challenging it can be to dine with dietary needs or allergy concerns. To help, Bison Kitchen offers clear labeling and allergy-friendly serving stations. Bison Kitchen's nutritionist and the University's registered dietician are also available to meet with students to review menus and daily offerings to help accommodate dietary needs.
If additional accommodations are necessary due to a disability, the request process is below.
Requesting Dining Accommodations
Documentation Requirement
To determine necessary accommodations the Director of OAR considers the following four factors: the student-completed Disability Accommodation Request form, supporting documentation, specific nature of the disability, and the functional limitations of the disability. The following information identifies the documentation required to be submitted to the OAR:
Notes for Documenting Professionals
The specific format for reporting information is left to the professional, but the requested information must be clearly presented, easy to discern, and mirror the information captured on the Disability Accommodation Request Form. Quality documentation should adhere to the following:
- A qualified professional must conduct the evaluation. The name, title, and professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about license or certification as well as the area of specialization, employment, and state or province in which the individual practices should be clearly stated in the documentation. It is not considered appropriate for professionals to evaluate members of their own family. Prescription pad notes do not typically provide the information required.
- The documentation must include a clear diagnostic statement that describes how the condition was diagnosed, provides information about the functional impact, and detail the typical progression or prognosis of the condition.
- The documentation must include a description of the diagnostic criteria, evaluation methods, procedures, tests, and dates of administration, as well as a clinical narrative, observation, and specific results. When appropriate to the nature of the disability, having both summary data and specific labs or other such information within the report is essential.
- The documentation must be recent (within the past five years) and age-appropriate so as to determine the need for accommodations and/or services based on the individual's current level of functioning. The diagnostic report should include specific recommendations for accommodations and/or adjustments as well as an explanation as to why each accommodation is recommended. The evaluators should describe the impact the diagnosed disability has on a specific major life activity as well as the degree of significance of this impact on the individual. The evaluator should support recommendations with specific test results or clinical observations.
- It is the responsibility of the student to obtain their documentation and to either upload documentation into the Office of Accessibility Resources online Accommodate portal via the Disability Accommodation Request form or submit it directly to the Office of Accessibility Resources. If assistance is needed, please contact the Office of Accessibility Resources. Any correspondence regarding the adequacy of the submitted documentation will be sent to the student's Bucknell email account. It is the student's responsibility to obtain additional information or clarification if requested.
- All documentation will be kept in the student's Accommodate portal, which will uphold the student's confidentiality. The Office of Accessibility Resources will share information with University staff only on an as-needed basis. If the documentation is not complete, then the Office of Accessibility Resources may not be able to proceed with a review.