Washington College affirms the educational benefits inherent in the residential aspect of the undergraduate experience. A meal plan is required of on-campus students to develop a sense of community that arises from table sharing in this environment. 

Students with disabilities and/or health conditions with medically necessary dietary needs may request meal plan modifications. The first step in the process is to contact Dining Services to meet with their staff to see if they are able to accommodate your specific needs. If they are unable to provide reasonable meal plan modifications, the student may be granted an exemption and released from the meal plan. The student may be partially or fully reimbursed for the meal plan costs depending on the circumstances. All requests for meal plan accommodations are made through the Office of Academic Skills (OAS). Information regarding requesting accommodations can be found at this link: https://www.washcoll.edu/people_departments/offices/disability-services/for-students.php.

The specific process for requesting a meal plan accommodations is as follows:

1. The student must complete the Public Accommodation Request Form found at this link: https://washcoll-accommodate.symplicity.com/public_accommodation/ .
2. Along with the form, the student must provide supporting documentation by having their health care provider** complete and submit the Accessibility Accommodation Documentation* form directly to the Office of Academic Skills using the contact information below: 
   
   The Office of Academic Skills Washington College
   300 Washington Avenue
   Chestertown, MD 21620 
   Phone: 410.778.7860 | FAX: 410.778.7884 | oas@washcoll.edu
    
3. After receipt of the form and the supporting documentation, you will be contacted via email with instructions for scheduling an initial meeting.
4. At this meeting, the student’s accommodation request and documentation form will be discussed and additional information may be requested.
5. After the initial meeting, the student will receive a decision letter.

If the meal plan modification/exemption accommodation request is denied, the student has the right to appeal the decision in writing to the Section 504/ADA Coordinator at the contact information below:

The Office of Academic Skills Washington College
300 Washington Avenue
Chestertown, MD 21620  
Phone: 410.778.7883 | FAX: 410.778.7850 | oas@washcoll.edu 

*A copy of this form can be found at this link: www.washcoll.edu/people_departments/offices/disability-services/files/accessibility-accommodation-documentation.pdf .

** The form must be filled out by a licensed physician who specializes in the field consistent with the diagnosis, i.e. the College will not accept documentation from a psychiatrist for a diagnosis of a gastrointestinal disorder.  To avoid any conflict of interest, documentation must be provided by non-family health care providers.