Blue Banana Bites #13: No One Left Offline

Hello friend,

In September, we think about getting back to school. School needs literacy. Literacy needs accessibility. And this affects all of us, on a scale.

So what gets in the way? What would make it easier for you to work at your best, with less friction and fewer obstacles? Can you access all information as soon as you go online? Yes and also no. You have more information at your fingertips than ever. But you still need to know how to find it, filter it, remember it, actually use it. Some people pick that up naturally. Others are still learning step by step. Some need additional tools or workarounds. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. And nothing wrong with that.

Let's access these topics together!

Our inspiration for this month’s theme is a photo from Frankie Creative on Pexels

This "split brain version" of Madelline's song Dopamine works best in stereo with headphones. French in one ear, English in the other — and they blend beautifully. Especially bilingual and neurodivergent listeners might get their next dopamine hit here.

We hit the one-year mark of Blue Banana Bites, and we want to thank you for sticking around and enjoying our content. We love doing what we do, and we hope you do too. Maybe you have been here since day one and watched this newsletter evolve. Maybe you just signed up. If you want to see this evolution for yourself, check out our archive.

Reading Between the Lines
→ International Literacy Day
A thing can technically exist and still be practically inaccessible to all or some of us. If we don't understand what's being said because it's not our language (be it technical, academic, youth slang, etc), we can feel lost.

Technology for Whom?
→ Science, Technology & Innovation
We need to debunk the myth that innovation is only driven by the Global North. Sure, you may have heard about innovative projects here and there. But often this information doesn't make its way back, nor does it reach the people who need it most. Including the Global South in our tech talk opens new opportunities: fresh partnerships, expanded markets, constraint-driven innovation, and bottom-up community building. Get the full picture for free.

We Don't Always Need Words
→ International Day of Sign Languages
Are you one of those people who find sign language fascinating? We are. For those who don't have any touchpoints with Deaf people, you can learn more here. We would have loved to learn the basics in school to open up our range of communication.

Lost in Translation
→ International Translation Day
On the 30th of September, we want to show you a game: One player takes a movie title, song lyric, or video game description, translates it back and forth multiple times (e.g., German → Japanese → Swahili → English), and the others have to guess what the original was.

What we're about to say isn’t rocket science, but changing the system instead of trying harder is often more effective. Pick one thing in your routine that repeatedly gets in your way and see if there's a tiny tool or helper that could make a big change.

The experiment for September: instead of asking "Why can't I do this properly?", ask "What could make this easier to use?"

Tech Borrowed from the Edges

Voice control began as assistive tech for people who couldn't use keyboards. Now it runs cars, homes, phones. Autocomplete was for people with physical disabilities; now it speeds every text message. Friction points push us to build smarter solutions for all.

Invisible Helpers Everywhere

Accessibility features have slipped into everyday life, and many of us use them without thinking twice. ”Subtitles on videos when we're on the train. Captions when sound is off. Text-to-speech or audiobooks while cleaning dishes. Dark mode for contrast. Magnification gestures if something is hard to see. You might only notice them when they're suddenly gone. It wasn't that long ago when any of this didn’t feel "normal" to use. That's the change we want to see.

The Math Isn't Mathing

A future of tech is a future of inclusive innovation. It means no longer relying on individual responsibility to be included in local or digital spaces. Universal design isn't expensive — non-accessible design is, in the long run, when you have to fix it later.

Building an app that works is one thing. Building one that works for different people in different situations is another.

At Blue Banana Software, accessibility lives in small decisions. Can you read this comfortably? Do you understand what happens next? Does something rely only on color? Does an important action require perfect timing? Do you find what you need?

Is there anything we could make more accessible for you? Let us know.

Do you have a product or service that fits our topics and values?
We're accepting a handful of sponsors this season.

Drop us a line if your work aligns with our mission and let's see if we're a good match.