Building Ladders: Extending Human Agency with AI
How AI can build ladders between human intent and digital experiences by adapting to people rather than forcing them to adapt
Articles
Reframing Accessibility: AI as an Epistemological Translator
How AI can translate between different ways of knowing, making accessibility a natural part of creation rather than compliance
Definitions
Building Ladders
The practice of creating technology that helps people climb to expertise and capabilities previously out of reach. Unlike bridges that assume you can already walk their path, ladders meet you at your current understanding and let you ascend, rung by rung, adapting to your unique way of knowing rather than forcing you to adapt to them.
Epistemological Translation
The process of converting knowledge from one way of understanding (epistemology) to another, making information accessible across different cognitive frameworks and modes of perception.
Glass Box
An approach to AI systems that prioritizes transparency, auditability, and human oversight. Unlike black box systems that hide their workings, glass box AI reveals its reasoning through structured outputs, scratch pads, and explicit decision steps that humans can inspect, understand, and modify.
Ladders
Tools, patterns, and systems that help people climb to expertise and capabilities previously out of reach. Unlike traditional tools that require extensive prerequisites, ladders meet you at your current understanding and let you ascend, rung by rung, to heights that were inaccessible before.