Description of Proposed Project

One of the biggest challenges faced by the e-NABLE community is the fact that we lack a good homepage where people can easily learn about our community and find their way to the resources they need. Currently, we have multiple websites with information and resources spread across them. Many people have commented that they have found it complicated and difficult to find the information they were looking for.

This project will focus on creating an updated website for e-NABLE that will reside at e-nable.org. This site will become the new primary landing page for people seeking information about e-NABLE. The site will present information about the e-NABLE community and our impact and will direct people to the resources they need for requesting a device, to get involved as a volunteer, or to support the community in other ways. 

This new site will also provide matching functionality to allow us to connect volunteers with people seeking devices. Unlike the current e-NABLE Web Central solution, this new site will provide a simplified mechanism for matching. People will be able to fill out a form either to request a device or to offer help as a volunteer. This will create pins on a map using the Google Maps API. Designated e-NABLE volunteers will then manually match each device requester with a nearby volunteer. The volunteer will then work with the client directly via email to coordinate the device delivery and will report status back to the matching team.

In later phases of the project, we will also add case management and reporting functionality, but in the beginning it will only provide a basic matching function.

The website we will be creating will be similar to e-NABLE France (https://e-NABLE.fr/en) and will use their code as a starting point. 

In Phase 1, our first task will be to translate the French site into English and update the content so that it presents the e-NABLE community in a clear manner, directing people to the appropriate resources. We will then create a matching platform using the Google Maps API, create/update forms for people wanting to volunteer and for people needing a device, and save this form-submission data in a relational database. 

In Phase 2, we would begin using the WordPress multi-lingual plugin to translate the website into the top 6 languages used by e-NABLE members. Additional languages can be added in later project phases. 

Phase 3 will require additional planning and estimation. Once we have used the new platform for a period time, we will gather feedback from the community to help determine what kinds of further improvements of additional functionality might be needed.

To summarize:

Phase 1: 

1. Translate e-NABLE France website into English using WordPress and PHP

2. Create matching platform using Google Maps API

3. Implement forms (coded in html/PHP) for requesting a device and offering to volunteer

4. Store data from form submissions in relational database (using an open-source DB like MySQL or MongoDB)

Phase 2:

1. Translate all website content into top 6 languages used throughout e-NABLE

Phase 3:

1. Incorporate additional functionality for case management, reporting, and other functions yet to be determined.

2. Provide additional translations for other languages.

3. Other enhancements based on user and community feedback.

Expected results/impact:

This project will allow us to have one main site for all of e-NABLE and remove the need for a manual matching system. Long term, this removes some barrier to entry for some users, making it easier to get involved. This will also allow us to follow up on cases more easily, and track deliverables more effectively.

Estimate of work effort involved:

Phase 1: Approximately 400 hours of work, distributed across a team of 7 people (including 5 volunteers and 2 paid contractors)

Phase 2: Approximately 50-100 hours of work, hopefully handled by volunteers

Estimated timeline for completion:

We hope to have Phase 1 completed within 2 months of having this proposal approved. Phase 2 will likely take another 2 months, depending on volunteer availability. Phase 3 will need to be planned and estimated separately.

Names of individuals responsible for deliverables:

Team members (Total of 200 hours @ $30/hr for Phase 1):

• Morgan Rollins (Project manager)

• Adam Jennings (Asst. Project manager)

• Azher Khan, Backend developer (Google API, database), front end (PHP and WordPress)

• Todd Brown (WordPress and content updates)

• Jonathan Hoogeveen (Content translation)

• Jeremy Simon (advisory support)

Additional contractors:

• 2 additional paid Wordpress/PHP contractors, 100 hours each @ $25/hr to help complete Phase 1 within the planned timeframe

Amount of funding being requested:

$11000 (200 hours @ $30/hr, 200 hours @ $25/hr)

A brief overview of my background with e-NABLE:

(Morgan Rollins, project manager): My time with e-NABLE started when I tried to make a prosthetic but was unable to get matched anywhere. I have extensive experience building 3D printed prosthetics and assistive devices, and have built many Phoenix hands. At this point, realized that it was a software operational problem and got in touch with Jeremy. I wanted to help improve the matching system. Now we are here doing that.