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Subject: A tool that could help students managing celiac - worth a quick conversation?

Hi [Name / “To the Dining Services Team”],

I’m the parent of [student name], a student at [University Name] who manages celiac disease. I’m writing to share something that has made a meaningful difference in how my child navigates eating on campus and to ask whether it might be worth a brief conversation with the team that developed it.

Campus dining with celiac is genuinely difficult, even when gluten-free options are available. Cross-contamination is a persistent concern, and without full visibility into how food is prepared and handled, it’s hard for students with celiac to feel confident eating in a shared dining environment. That uncertainty has real consequences - not just for nutrition, but for social participation, mental health, and academic performance. Under Section 504, students with celiac may be entitled to accommodations for exactly this kind of barrier, but accommodations alone don’t resolve the day-to-day uncertainty of eating in a shared kitchen environment.

What the data shows about celiac students and campus dining:

• 90% skipped meals because there were no safe gluten-free options
• 53% reported gluten exposure in dining halls
• 63% experienced frequent stress or anxiety about managing celiac on campus
• Only 7% felt "very confident" that dining hall food was gluten-free; 60% were "not very confident" or "not confident at all"
• 53% avoided social events due to food safety concerns

Source: Weisbrod et al., NASPGHAN 2025 / Celiac Disease Foundation College Consensus Summit.

A portable gluten detection sensor called NIMA (nimanow.com) has helped my child navigate that uncertainty. It allows users to test food for gluten before eating. It’s not a replacement for gluten-free preparation or careful dining protocols, but a practical layer of confidence when ingredients and handling practices aren’t fully visible. For students with celiac, that additional layer can mean the difference between eating in the dining hall and skipping a meal. It could mean reducing high-risk eating behavior that could land them in the hospital.

The NIMA team is copied on this email and can speak directly to what a partnership or awareness program might look like, from something as simple as letting students know the tool exists, to integrating it into how your dining program supports students with medical dietary needs. No commitment needed on your end, just a conversation.

Thank you for making time for this.

[Your name]
[Parent of (student name), Class of (year)]
[Contact information]

Subject: A tool that could help students managing celiac - worth a quick conversation?

Hi [Name / “To the Dining Services Team”],

I’m a student at [University Name] managing celiac disease. I’m writing to share something that’s made a real difference in how I navigate eating on campus and to ask whether it might be worth a conversation with the team that developed it.

Managing celiac in a campus dining environment is harder than most people realize, even when gluten-free options are on the menu. Cross-contamination is a constant concern, and it’s rarely possible to know exactly how food was prepared or what it came into contact with. That uncertainty affects more than just what I eat. It affects whether I feel comfortable eating in the dining hall at all, whether I can participate in campus meals and social events the way other students do, and on difficult days, whether I can show up to class the way I need to. Under Section 504, students with celiac may be entitled to accommodations for exactly this kind of barrier, but even with accommodations in place, the day-to-day uncertainty of eating in a shared dining environment doesn’t go away.

What the data shows about celiac students and campus dining:

• 90% skipped meals because there were no safe gluten-free options
• 53% reported gluten exposure in dining halls
• 63% experienced frequent stress or anxiety about managing celiac on campus
• Only 7% felt "very confident" that dining hall food was gluten-free; 60% were "not very confident" or "not confident at all"
• 53% avoided social events due to food safety concerns

Source: Weisbrod et al., NASPGHAN 2025 / Celiac Disease Foundation College Consensus Summit.

A portable gluten detection sensor called NIMA (nimanow.com) has helped my child navigate that uncertainty. It allows users to test food for gluten before eating. It’s not a replacement for gluten-free preparation or careful dining protocols, but a practical layer of confidence when ingredients and handling practices aren’t fully visible. For students with celiac, that additional layer can mean the difference between eating in the dining hall and skipping a meal. It could mean reducing high-risk eating behavior that could land them in the hospital.

The NIMA team is copied on this email and can speak directly to what a partnership or awareness program might look like, from something as simple as letting students know the tool exists, to integrating it into how your dining program supports students with medical dietary needs. No commitment needed on your end, just a conversation.

Thank you for making time for this.

[Your name]
[Class of (year) - optional]
[Contact information]

Subject: Supporting students with celiac disease - a program worth considering

Hi [Name],

I’m the parent of a student at [University Name] who manages celiac disease. I’m writing to raise something I believe deserves more institutional attention, and to propose a few practical ways your office might be able to help.

Celiac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 people, meaning a significant number of students at [University Name] are managing it right now. The data on how campus institutions are currently serving those students is sobering:

What the data shows:

• 90% of celiac students skipped meals because there were no safe gluten-free options
• 53% reported gluten exposure in dining halls
• 63% experienced frequent stress or anxiety about managing celiac on campus
• 53% avoided social events due to food safety concerns
• Only 32% registered with Disability Services for celiac accommodations
• Of those, only 20% found Disability Services “very helpful” in securing housing or meal accommodations
• Only 4.4% felt their campus community clearly understood or supported students with celiac disease

Source: Weisbrod et al., NASPGHAN 2025 / Celiac Disease Foundation College Consensus Summit.

These numbers reflect a widespread and underserved gap between what institutions intend to provide and what students with celiac actually experience. The students who aren’t registering with Disability Services, aren’t using the dining hall, and aren’t attending campus events aren’t opting out by choice - they’re managing an unmet need on their own.

I want to introduce a tool that I believe could help close that gap: NIMA (nimanow.com), a portable gluten sensor that allows users to test food for gluten before eating. It doesn’t replace gluten-free dining protocols. NIMA adds a layer of real-time confidence in situations where ingredients and handling practices aren’t fully transparent. For students with celiac, that additional layer can mean the difference between eating in the dining hall and skipping a meal. It could mean reducing high-risk eating behavior that could land them in the hospital.

Will [University Name] take an active role in making NIMA accessible and recognized? A few ways that could look in practice:

• Assistive Technology Program Coverage: NIMA may qualify for coverage through your campus Assistive Technology program. AT programs exist to support students with disabilities in accessing educational environments, and for a student whose ability to eat safely on campus directly affects their academic participation, a gluten detection tool fits that framework under ADA and Section 504. If your AT coordinator hasn’t encountered this use case before, the NIMA team can provide supporting documentation.
• Inclusion in Formal Celiac or Allergen Accommodations: Under Section 504, students with celiac disease may be entitled to reasonable accommodations that address barriers to full educational participation. For many students, the uncertainty of eating in a shared campus dining environment is exactly that kind of barrier. NIMA could be formally recommended or provided as part of a celiac accommodation package, alongside dietary modifications and dining hall protocols, recognizing it as a medically appropriate self-management tool.
• Student Discount or Subsidy Program: Partnering with NIMA to offer students managing celiac a subsidized device or discounted capsule subscription - similar to how many universities offer discounts on health and wellness tools - would meaningfully reduce the financial barrier to access. This is the lowest-lift option and could be implemented through Student Health, Disability Services, or a wellness program.

I recognize these represent different levels of investment, and I’m not asking for a commitment today. The NIMA team is copied on this email and can speak directly to what implementation looks like, what costs are involved, and what other schools have done - no obligation beyond a conversation.

Thank you for considering this. Students managing celiac on campus are doing a lot on their own. Even a small signal from the institution that their needs are seen goes a long way.

[Your name]
[Class of (year) - optional]
[Contact information]

Subject: Supporting students with celiac disease - a program worth considering

Hi [Name],

I’m a student at [University Name] managing celiac disease. I want to raise something I think deserves more institutional attention than it typically receives and propose a few concrete ways your office might be able to help.

Celiac disease affects approximately 1 in 100 people, meaning a significant number of students at [University Name] are managing it right now. The data on how campus institutions are currently serving those students is sobering:

What the data shows:

• 90% of celiac students skipped meals because there were no safe gluten-free options
• 53% reported gluten exposure in dining halls
• 63% experienced frequent stress or anxiety about managing celiac on campus
• 53% avoided social events due to food safety concerns
• Only 32% registered with Disability Services for celiac accommodations
• Of those, only 20% found Disability Services “very helpful” in securing housing or meal accommodations
• Only 4.4% felt their campus community clearly understood or supported students with celiac disease

Source: Weisbrod et al., NASPGHAN 2025 / Celiac Disease Foundation College Consensus Summit.

These numbers reflect a widespread and underserved gap between what institutions intend to provide and what students with celiac actually experience. The students who aren’t registering with Disability Services, aren’t using the dining hall, and aren’t attending campus events aren’t opting out by choice - they’re managing an unmet need on their own.

I want to introduce a tool that I believe could help close that gap: NIMA (nimanow.com), a portable gluten sensor that allows users to test food for gluten before eating. It doesn’t replace gluten-free dining protocols. NIMA adds a layer of real-time confidence in situations where ingredients and handling practices aren’t fully transparent. For students with celiac, that additional layer can mean the difference between eating in the dining hall and skipping a meal. It could mean reducing high-risk eating behavior that could land them in the hospital.

Will [University Name] take an active role in making NIMA accessible and recognized? A few ways that could look in practice:

• Assistive Technology Program Coverage: NIMA may qualify for coverage through your campus Assistive Technology program. AT programs exist to support students with disabilities in accessing educational environments, and for a student whose ability to eat safely on campus directly affects their academic participation, a gluten detection tool fits that framework under ADA and Section 504. If your AT coordinator hasn’t encountered this use case before, the NIMA team can provide supporting documentation.
• Inclusion in Formal Celiac or Allergen Accommodations: Under Section 504, students with celiac disease may be entitled to reasonable accommodations that address barriers to full educational participation. For many students, the uncertainty of eating in a shared campus dining environment is exactly that kind of barrier. NIMA could be formally recommended or provided as part of a celiac accommodation package, alongside dietary modifications and dining hall protocols, recognizing it as a medically appropriate self-management tool.
• Student Discount or Subsidy Program: Partnering with NIMA to offer students managing celiac a subsidized device or discounted capsule subscription - similar to how many universities offer discounts on health and wellness tools - would meaningfully reduce the financial barrier to access. This is the lowest-lift option and could be implemented through Student Health, Disability Services, or a wellness program.

I recognize these represent different levels of investment, and I’m not asking for a commitment today. The NIMA team is copied on this email and can speak directly to what implementation looks like, what costs are involved, and what other schools have done - no obligation beyond a conversation.

Thank you for considering this. Students managing celiac on campus are doing a lot on their own. Even a small signal from the institution that their needs are seen goes a long way.

[Your name]
[Class of (year) - optional]
[Contact information]