Many government and public websites are built for people who already know the local script: which document comes first, which language completes the task, which office to visit before the form will accept you. If you are new to a place ... or new to that system ... the same page can feel like a wall.

This writeup gathers patterns Jade noticed living in Madrid in Spring 2026, and connects them to the same kinds of handoff problems she sees in nonprofit clinic work. It locks a clear claim, expands mechanisms (language as access, unwritten sequencing, blaming errors), discusses long-horizon AI growth without invented forecasts (capability growth is not automatic inclusion; friction compounds when automation lands on a broken access baseline), and does not claim a controlled study or peer-reviewed findings.

Prefer a shorter web version first? Temporary outsiders is the same idea in a lighter page.

The PDF uses academic paper-style layout on purpose. It is still Jade’s independent research note / writeup ... not a peer-reviewed PhD paper, not IU-endorsed, and not a clinic policy document. Drafting and structure were AI-assisted; accountability for claims and limits remains with Jade Zhao.

Full research note (PDF)

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