The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990 to prevent discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all aspects of life. The Act has been applied to a variety of segments of our society, including building entrance designs, website displays, and workplace accommodations. Recently, a new twist to the Act arose when a 12-year-old boy visited a Colonial Williamsburg restaurant with his classmates on a school field trip.

The case, J.D. v. Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, was originally filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and later appealed to the 4th Cir Ct. App. No 18-1725. In J.D., a 12-year-old boy with severe Celiac disease visited a restaurant with his classmates on a school field trip to Colonial Williamsburg. J.D.’s condition was so severe that even the slightest ingestion of gluten-based foods caused severe illness. On prior occasions, other restaurants had offered J.D. gluten-free meals that accidentally or unknowingly contained trace amounts of gluten, which caused J.D.’s symptoms to flare up. Because of this, J.D.’s parents decided that when J.D. had to eat out, they would prepare J.D.’s food for him, so that he could safely and comfortably eat without incident or fear of incident. Knowing that the field trip would require J.D. to eat at a restaurant, J.D.’s father (who also attended the field trip) brought a home-prepared meal for J.D. to eat while the rest of the class ordered its meals from the restaurant menu.