Celiac.com 05/03/2016 - How do you know when your child has gluten sensitivity, gluten intolerance, or celiac disease? If gluten issues run in your family and you know there is a predisposition to having problems with gluten in foods, then you may be alert to signs that it has been passed on to your child. But if you and your biological family members never had problems with it, then you're not expecting gluten to be an issue. Children arrive with a complicated genetic past that we may not always have the details about. We may not know the health history of the families of our child's other parent, or even sometimes our own. We may not know if anyone had reactions to gluten. Because celiac and gluten sensitivities can appear as chameleons, genes for it may be masked as other health issues...

Celiac.com 10/25/2016 - The 504 Plan stems from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This section prevents discrimination against public school students in grades kindergarten through 12 because of disabilities. A 504 plan is meant to "remove barriers" to learning by providing a specific outline on how to make accommodations or modifications on a student-by-student basis.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 applies to all institutions receiving federal financial assistance, such as public schools. Under this law, public schools must provide a free, appropriate public education and not discriminate against disabled students. This law acknowledges that the disability may not require special education services, but a plan is needed to ensure the student receives an appropriate education...

Celiac.com 09/22/2021 - "Vexing venues" where ideologies discussed in Chapter 2 collide in public settings such as work, the doctor's office, school, the grocery store, and church. They are termed "vexing venues" because we never know what to expect when our needs are constantly tested. Like at work, when confronted with gluten landmines on every surface; or at church where the communion bread gets mixed up with the gluten free; or at the grocery store where it is bewildering to find the simplest safe fare without a lot of knowledge. We face conundrums in venues that require us to pre-determine strategies to gracefully manage situations. The ceaseless toil to assure our needs are honored to avoid cross-contamination creates fatiguing anxiety even in places we wouldn't expect. For example...

Celiac.com 05/26/2023 - Three cheers for Girl Scout Troop 3656 in Seaford, New York! The troop has successfully campaigned for gluten-free options to be added to their school district's menu. The troop's initiative began when troop member Giuliana Caratelli, who has celiac disease, was unable to eat school lunches, due to her immune reaction to gluten.
Determined to help their fellow scout, Troop 3656 created up a plan to promote gluten-free meals for their Bronze Award project, the first in a series of medals that move up the Girl Scout rankings. The troop presented their idea to the principal and assistant principal of Seaford Manor School, and began working with the district’s food service director, Betty Ann Fiola, on a plan to add gluten-free options to the lunch menu.
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