This is the original essay that got SpoonStack started.
All too often, systemically oppressed and marginalized communities are left out of the ability to make things. This is especially true in the space of digital technologies, where a relatively small and privileged set of people do virtually all of the creating - and the rest of us must wait and hope that these "tech" powers listen to what we want, or what we need.
We find this situation unacceptable.
We propose a radical new philosophy for how to go about creating digital technologies, grounded in Disability Justice principles.
Our goal is to radically shift the realities around who has the practical, realistic opportunity to participate in making digital tech, and to redistribute this incredible, transformative power to the most marginalized communities in our world.
Explore the "how" and "why" of what SwitchBoard is, how it differs from typical "computer programming" approaches, and how it blends a radical emphasis on accessibility with a community focus on creating things together.
Building on the concepts layed out in Disability-Driven Development, we explore the possibilities of what this philosophy might unlock, and how we might collectively go about pursuing the overall strategy together.
More than just a conceptual road-map for making software, though, we explore the possible implications on hardware, as well as future ties to ecological justice.
Our goal isn't merely to realize a future where anyone can make digital tech.
We strive to do so without harming the world we all share.