I did not know who or what Team Anaphylaxis was until I saw one of their images on facebook someone posted.   At first, I thought maybe it was a food allergy walk team.  Then I realized that Team Anaphylaxis  supports those managing life threatening food allergies who find themselves in situations where they need tools, support and education to remain included, safe and treated fairly.  They support fair treatment and inclusion of all people managing life threatening allergies and anaphylaxis.  They get to the point with a tag line that I love: Anaphylaxis is a disability.  I know sometimes people are uncomfortable with the “D” word, but when I find my children  in positions of potentially being excluded and put in a dangerous situation to be included–I embrace this word and seek solutions.   I found Team Anaphylaxis to be one of those resources that food allergy folks might be interested in getting to know.  I was almost in a situation where my children were about to excluded from a camp that had been inclusive for years and I was ready to call upon Team Anaphylaxisfor guidance in regards to dealing with the Office of Civil Liberties.    I approached Jodie Hommer, Founder of Team anaphylaxis with some questions that I could share with my readers.  Kim Middleton is Team Ana’s program manager and together, they offer a support group and blog.  Here is what Jodie shared with me…

image courtesy of Team Anaphylaxis

What exactly is Team Anaphylaxis?
Team Anaphylaxis is a grassroots effort to advance the Civil Rights and fair treatment of those affected with Anaphylaxis.  As parent advocates we are committed to educating the public about food allergies and anaphylaxis, a life threatening and legally recognized disability. We equip, empower and support parents with the tools and resources necessary for the successful management of this highly complex, chronic health condition. We seek to promote the fair treatment and inclusion of all individuals. We believe food free classrooms provide the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) to ensure a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).
What is your mission?
To advance the Civil Rights and fair treatment of those affected with Anaphylaxis. We want to inform parents and the community that anaphylaxis is a disability, therefore, it is a civil rights issue when people with anaphylaxis are unfairly treated based on their medical condition. We want to educate parents regarding their children’s rights to obtain a Section 504 Plan, what to do if the school violates the plan, and how to file a complaint with the Department of Education Office for Civil Rights. As parent advocates of children with anaphylactic food allergies ourselves, we also want to provide parents with support through this process.
What is a 504 plan?
A Section 504 Plan is an accommodation plan that outlines proactive and reactive measures put into place by school staff and administrators to ensure your child is being safely included in a federally funded learning institute.
What does LRE and FAPE mean?
LRE – Least Restrictive Environment
“Least restrictive environment” (LRE) means that a student who has a disability should have the opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers, to the greatest extent appropriate. They should have access to the general education curriculum or any other program that non-disabled peers would be able to access. The student should be provided with supplementary aids and services necessary to achieve educational goals if placed in a setting with non-disabled peers.”
FAPE – Free and Appropriate Public Education
“Free Appropriate Public Education, or FAPE, is an educational right of children with disabilities in the United States that is guaranteed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973[1] and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Under Section 504, FAPE is defined as “the provision of regular or special education and related aids and services that are designed to meet individual needs of handicapped persons as well as the needs of non-handicapped persons are met and based on adherence to procedural safeguards outlined in the law. Under the IDEA, FAPE is defined as an educational program that is individualized to a specific child, designed to meet that child’s unique needs, provides access to the general curriculum, meets the grade-level standards established by the state, and from which the child receives educational benefit. The United States Department of Education issues regulations that define and govern the provision of FAPE.
To provide FAPE to a child with a disability, schools must provide students with an education, including specialized instruction and related services, that prepares the child for further education, employment, and independent living.”
Resources:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/edlite-FAPE504.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Least_Restrictive_Environment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Appropriate_Public_Education
What was your proudest Team Anaphylaxis moment?
Deciding to form our Team Anaphylaxis Support Group for Moms (we also recently formed a Team Anaphylaxis Support Group for Dads). We get a lot of great feedback from mom’s about how they have not felt similar support anywhere else until they joined the Team Anaphylaxis Support Group. We are also very proud to be known nationally as one of the only (possibly the only) faith based, spiritually rooted, organizations in the food allergy and anaphylaxis field.
What do you see for this upcoming year for Team Anaphylaxis?
We will continue to offer free education, advocacy, and support to families affected by anaphylaxis. We would also like to rally the nation to start holding people in positions of power accountable for their negligence of not educating the public (particularly schools) properly about the epidemic of anaphylaxis.
If you could only give one piece of advice to fellow FA parents out there..what is it?
Think preventively at all times and in all scenarios to avoid anaphylaxis – and should your safety nets fall away make sure you always have multiple doses of epinephrine.
How can folks find Team Anaphylaxis?
Website
http://teamanaphylaxis.weebly.com/
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Team-Anaphylaxis/159511227477594?ref=hl
Facebook Support Groups:
http://teamanaphylaxis.weebly.com/support-group.html
Twitter https://twitter.com/TeamAnaphylaxis

Thank you Team Anaphylaxis for providing another resource for our food allergy community to turn to when being excluded, treated unfairly or simply needing support.