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1. New Header navigation:
The top of our website now has a new look and a change to the way it's organized. Across the top right, you will find links to our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds.
Below that is a menu that has easy-access links to our donation page if you are feeling generous. Next is a drop-down menu to let you find our "about" information, with information about who IPUL is. There's also a link about what IPUL does (and does not do) The next link is to our event calendar. Right now we are just showing events that are IPUL only, but we will be adding a community function to it soon. Finally, our get help menu gives you rapid access to our contact form, the ability to see what our next monthly training is and to sign up for that training, and our growing list of community support groups.
The last menu bar consists of links that take you back to our new homepage, our new news and events page, our Covid-19 resources, (right now anyway) a link to our primary programs (IPUL Health, IPUL Education, IPUL Arts, and IPUL Youth) and then a link to our resources and partners page.
This menu will be at the top of all our website pages and should make it simpler to find things.
2. New Front Page Format.
On our main page, below the image you'll find an area where we have made a rather significant change - we replaced the giant wall of links and tabs with nine icons. This page will remain more or less static going forward.
There's an area above our icons where we will occasionally post major announcements we want you to be sure not to miss.
In the top row, running from left to right, you'll find another link to our news and events page - this page will be taking the place of the articles we used to post on our front page. Next to that is another link to "ask for help." This has our main ask for help form, as well as information about our other methods you can use to contact us. Last on the top row is a link to our workshops section - here we will have our current workshop information, as well as the form for you to register for that workshop. We also will have our curriculum and our save the date calendar here. Also, if you have a group that you would like IPUL to come give a workshop for, you can do that on this page.
The middle row contains links to our IPUL Education, IPUL Health, and IPUL Arts programming.
The last row has a link to our IPUL Youth section (Formerly called Transition to Adulthood), another easy-to-find link to our resources page, and a link to "other services" which is where we are placing things that don't quite fit in the other sections. For example, you may find our event scholarship information, information on our Parent Leadership Development, Project Amplify, (we've not announced that but you'll see more about it soon) and other things.
3. The Quick Event Calendar
The last component on our main page is a short look at our event calendar, showing the next few items taking place - you can see what trainings we have scheduled, and if we would be closed for business due to any holidays.
4. New Footer Navigation
On every page in our new website you will find our new super-footer. First off is the contact section - on every page on the site we have a form where you can send us a question, as well as trying to make it as obvious as possible how to reach us by phone. Anything sent to the "Email us!" link will be responded to as if you used our main contact us link above - within 24 business hours (except if we are travelling, at a conference, or closed for a holiday)
Below that is our office location information, another link to our main contact form, another link to our donation form, our accessibility statement, the privacy policy information, and a place where the webmaster logs in to make changes to all this. ;)
Finally, we have some information about who we work with - both under contract and via grants.
5. New Floating Accessibility Menu - Everywhere!
We've also incorporated some new technology to help make the site more accessible. Floating on the right-hand side of every page is a blue icon, that once clicked opens into a menu - it can also be activated by hitting Control-U on your keyboard. This menu from Userway lets you adjust the site in various ways to make it easier to access.
Why did we do this again?
We did this because we wanted to make our website as easy to use as possible and to make it easier for you to reach out and ask for help .
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask them by using the form at the bottom of the page.