By Miriam White | Sköld Legacy Creative & Idaho Road Watch

HOA fines. Legalese. Doctor’s notes you can’t decode.
It’s too much.
It’s meant to be too much.

But what if AI could flip that script?

As a disabled elder navigating PTSD, lupus, and grief in Apache Junction, I’ve used AI to decode HOA bylaws, analyze medical records, and draft legal petitions—without waiting for a $300/hour lawyer to call me back. I’ve done it all from my phone. From bed. With my cat Bandit Gray curled up beside me.

This post is for you, the 50+ crew. The widows, veterans, caregivers, and neighbors tired of the runaround. The ones holding on to their homes and their voices.

📸 The Fine Print Fights Back

Let’s say your HOA slaps you with a fine for a “non-compliant” mailbox.
You’ve got the bylaws—but they’re 100 pages long and written like a trap.
So, here’s what you do:
1. Take a photo or screenshot of the document.
2. Upload it into AI—ChatGPT, Grok, Gemini, Claude—whatever tool you trust.
3. Ask it:
• “What rules are in here about mailboxes?”
• “Where does it say they can fine me?”
• “Highlight the sections that mention elections, board power, or due process.”

That’s what I did with Idaho Road Watch. And it worked.
I’ve caught illegal HOA board appointments, manipulated elections, and shady fines just by asking AI the right questions. It saved me thousands.

🧠 AI as Your Contract Translator

Before you sign anything—from a roof repair to a refinance—snap it.
Then ask AI:
• “Is there a penalty clause?”
• “What’s the cancellation policy?”
• “Does this allow them to increase rates without notice?”

You don’t need to be a lawyer. You need a flashlight.
AI is that flashlight.

🧾 Bylaws. Petitions. ADA Complaints. Wills.

I’ve written ADA complaints for inaccessible laundry rooms.
I’ve drafted petitions to reopen probate cases after my parents died.
I’ve written a will.

All with AI.

It’s not perfect, but it’s powerful. And it listens.
Unlike a lot of board members I’ve dealt with.

🌀 The Method

📲 Take a screenshot.
📤 Upload to AI.
🗣 Ask plain-language questions.
📚 Save the answers in folders (or ask AI to summarize or label them for you).
🔎 Come back later and say: “Where did it talk about dues?”
This turns your HOA nightmare into a searchable archive. It puts you in control.

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This isn’t just tech—it’s literacy. Justice. Legacy.

My grandfather trusted libraries in 1931. I trust open-source AI.
Not the corporate kind—the kind that audits itself, explains itself, and learns your language.
Even Kanienʼkéha. Even grief.

Let’s train AI to speak like our elders did—plain, kind, powerful.
Let’s build the tools that let us stay in our homes.
Let’s teach each other how to use them.

You don’t need permission. You need access.
You already have the questions.
Now you’ve got the flashlight.

Nia:wen.
Sköld Legacy Creative & Idaho Road Watch

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