An early-stage project
Start with what each person wants to do.
BotSpan.org explores how an agent could support a person with a disability in everyday life: start with their intention, discover the interactions that work for them, and remember only what they authorize. The tools come later.
There is no agent available yet. These options explain where the project stands today.
Our story
An idea that began at home.
My brother was born with a disability. We grew up together, and from a young age I imagined an assistant that could support him in everyday life.
My dad repaired computers. Watching him work, I discovered Linux and became interested in operating systems and artificial intelligence. Years later, when I came across the idea of smart glasses, I thought about how valuable it would be for my brother to get guidance when something was unclear, even in everyday situations such as understanding money.
Today, we are closer to making that possible. I believe abilities exist on a spectrum, and no label can describe the full diversity of people. I want to start with my brother and those around me, and build support that adapts to each person.
That is why BotSpan.org exists: to do everything we can to improve lives.
How we plan to start
Get to know the person through interactions that work.
Onboarding is not an ability questionnaire or a test to pass before getting support. It is the first useful experience, designed by working backward from something the person wants to accomplish.
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An intention of their own
Start with something the person wants to do now — for example, choosing a familiar product in a practice shopping trip — not what others think they should learn.
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One small, useful action
Tap a product photo and see it selected, with the option to change it. The interaction may use visuals, touch, or voice, depending on the person and context; audio plays only when requested.
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Choose, correct, or stop
Changing a choice, asking for a repeat, or deciding not to continue are valid outcomes too. An accidental tap does not become a preference or consent.
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Remember only what is authorized
The proposal is to save specific preferences with their context and source, and show them before reuse. No diagnoses, global levels, or ability scores. What is remembered should be possible to correct, forget, and export.
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Knowledge that stays with the person
Tools are chosen later and can change. Authorized memory belongs to the person: changing tools should not mean losing it or starting over.
These steps are a design proposal: they have not yet been implemented or tested with participants.
Where we are today
Today, BotSpan.org is this page, design documentation, and a pilot in preparation.
There is not yet a working agent, an established foundation, or an open access-grant program. This page describes a direction and how we plan to start, not an available product.
Proposed model
Open to everyone. Built to last.
A working draft
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01 / TOOLKIT
Open capabilities
We want to publish the BotSpan.org toolkit so people, organizations, and other agents can use and improve it. Apache 2.0 is the proposed license for this toolkit.
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02 / SERVICE
A platform that earns its place
The company could offer hosting, inference, and support. Others could also build services on the open capabilities. Our value would have to come from the quality of our service.
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03 / CARE
Responsible maintenance
The project needs clear ownership of releases, documentation, contribution reviews, and responses to security issues. We intend to set aside resources to sustain that work.
In the future, a foundation-and-company structure could protect the open mission and fund access grants. Its rules, scope, and funding would need to be defined publicly before presenting it as an established institution.