About
Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. These tics can range from simple movements like eye blinking or throat clearing, to more complex movements such as touching objects or repeating words. Tourette’s typically begins in childhood and can impact daily life, causing difficulties in school, social interactions and self-esteem. With proper management, most individuals with Tourette’s are able to lead successful and fulfilling lives. This project aims to raise awareness and support for those living with Tourette’s through fundraising for the Tourette Association of America.
According to the CDC, 1 out of every 162 children have TS. Although it is not uncommon to grow out of Tourette Syndrome as you get older, many of us do not. My case of TS is mild, but for many, it is a disability that greatly impacts their lives, and it often often co-occurs with other neurobehavioral disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and more.
As someone who has lived with Tourette Syndrome since childhood, I understand the challenges and feelings of ostracization that come with it. The idea for this clothing came after I started to get more and more frustrated with the number of people who stare at me in public, especially in my university lectures. I figured I could make a shirt or hoodie that could clue people in as to why I’m making racecar noises all the time. But as I came up with a design, I realized that my friends and family might also be interested in the clothing. And that’s when the idea for this website dawned on me - not just as a way for me to let people know why I make cow mooing noises, but as a way to raise support for others living with Tourette’s.
Thank you for visiting this site, if you have any questions or concerns with your purchase, feel free to contact me.
The Website
This website was built using the Golang-written static site generator Hugo along with Bootstrap for the front end, and a backend API server written in Golang, which handles connections with third-party API’s and handles the functionality for the shopping cart. I used a database in order to store each user’s cart items. The database stores no sensitive information about the user. As a whole, the site is (intentionally) not too complicated, although I put in a lot of effort into providing a clean and functional experience for the user. Could I have just used Shopify and saved myself 100 hours? Sure, but I wouldn’t have come out of this process as a better software engineer.
I am using the print-on-demand (POD) service Printify for both designing and printing the merchandise. For those unfamiliar, POD means that I myself am not creating the clothing or shipping it to you. This saves me a lot of trouble, and trust me, I don’t think you want me making these clothes myself. For payments, I am using Stripe as a payment processor, meaning I also don’t handle your credit card information (I doubt you want to trust me with that either). This is important as there are certain regulations, namely PCI-DSS, that require certain standards to be met for data security in regards to electronic payments.
Refunds
All purchases are final, but if you receive a damaged or defective product then I will try to replace it or get you a refund for free if you contact me within 3 weeks of receiving your product. This excludes any case where you accidentally ordered the wrong size, color, or simply changed your mind. In case of a defective product, please send me an image as proof.