Hello new spiffy looking FARE website! I’m going to be brutally honest, but not ungrateful for all that I have received from the Food Allergy and Anphylaxis Network (FAAN–now called FARE). I confess to struggling in past years trying to find information on the old FAAN Website. Twelve years ago, I was grateful for the resource, but it was confusing and hard to manage at times, which is never a good thing if you are already feeling overwhelmed, stressed and seeking specific data. But, goodness! I really think the new website design has brought FARE up a few notches into the new world of user friendly information!
FARE website screen shot courtesy of FARE
I decided to do my own little data access test on the new site. The website looked sleek, but was it functional. I gave myself five scenarios to see if I could easily and quickly find information:
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- A Food Allergy Action plan
- 504 information for school
- Information regarding corporate partners
- Advocacy information for states seeking stock epinephrine in schools
- A list of key management
photo courtesy of Freepick.com photographer Geoffrey Whiteway
In a six minutes, this is what I discovered on the newly updated FARE website..
[unordered_list style=”tick”]- I found the Food Allergy Action Plan under FARE. When I downloaded the plan though, it had not been updated yet with the new Auvi-Q®, which I believe is coming soon.
- I was very pleased and pleasantly surprised to find easy and supportive 504 plan information under the FARE section–complete with a message on the bottom of the page advising families that if they are experiencing difficulties with their school to contact FARE or the FARE.
- The FAREpage proved fruitful as I found a list of FARE AND a list of FARE leadership, specifically the FARE) that I was seeking.
- Once again, FARE) provided me with the link to FARE). The Advocacy page gave a brief overview of some of FAAN’s past work and urged readers to contact their local regional office for specific local details. I clicked on the FARE) and found a helpful description of what is taking place on a state level. The information regarding Federal legislation was still a bit fuzzy to me. It clearly outlined what took place in 2011/12 regarding The School Access To Epinephrine Act but did not mention what is going to take place this year. Also, the links were broken regarding sample letters to Senators and Representatives (broken links are my own challenge, so I have mercy in this area. I still don’t understand why some of my links mysteriously break on this site).
photo courtesy of Freepick.com, photographer Ian L
All in all, I was darn impressed with what I found in six minutes. Now, I move quickly on the computer and I knew exactly what I wanted, so that did factor into my short search time. I did not use the search function, since I wanted to see if the site was designed to be intuitive and alas, it was. I was pleased with the speed and again, logic in finding what I was seeking. My only suggestion is to update the Advocacy area, but in all honestly, this function is not as critical as 504 plans or tips for managing life threatening food allergies. So, if the FARE IT staff was burning the midnight candle to get this site up and going, I won’t complain too hard, but will share what I found so they can fix it.
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..