Written by our Assistant Psychologists Andrew Canning and Brandon Marsden
On Monday morning, as Stephen logs on, the tasks stack up quickly: a sprawling email thread, a dense report and a meeting about to start. He prompts Microsoft Copilot to prioritise the three decisions that matter, structure last week’s minutes into actions, and produce a concise, bullet pointed meeting update. During the meeting, live captions support real-time processing, with the transcript there for later checking. The tool doesn’t replace Stephen’s judgement; it lowers the barrier to applying it.
That’s the real argument for AI in the inclusion space: not making people ‘better’ but lowering the barriers that prevent people from showing what they can do.
How does AI help?
A lot of everyday hurdles are due to cognitive load rather than capability. Our working memory – the notepad we use to hold and manipulate information – has limited space. When it is full, accuracy and focus can drop. For many neurodivergent colleagues, tasks that demand heavy sequencing, dense reading or rapid context switching drain energy fast.
AI supports inclusion by acting as:
- External Memory: Summaries, action extraction and recaps mean less to juggle mentally and creates fewer opportunities to drop a thread.
- Language Support: First drafting and simplification reduce the ‘activation energy’ to start writing and can make the message clearer.
- Sensory Access: Captions, transcripts, and screen reading provide alternative routes to the same information, showcasing a strong universal design that supports everyone.
The result is not a shortcut to quality; it is time and cognitive space for the work that actually requires human skill.
Using In-Built Tools Like Copilot:
Apps like Copilot support with everyday, repeatable tasks that quietly eat time:
- It can turn rough notes into a structured plan, useful when executive functioning (planning, prioritising, sequencing) is under pressure.
- It can summarise long email chains or documents into the key points and decisions, helping attention stay on track.
- It can draft emails, briefs, or updates that you can then edit for tone and nuance, speeding up the slowest part – getting started.
Used this way, the software doesn’t flatten voices – it amplifies clarity.
A few notable practice points are: keep a human in the loop, follow your organisations policies and procedures, and be transparent about when AI has contributed, so others can review and refine.
Inclusion Is Multi-Sensory
Inclusion is not only cognitive. Hearing and vision vary across a workforce and across a lifetime. Live captions and noise suppression in meetings support colleagues with hearing loss and reduce listening fatigue for everyone. For vision, transcripts with text-to-speech tools reduce screen strain, while tools like Seeing AI can read printed text aloud or describe visual surroundings when you’re away from your desk.
This is a reminder that if we are serious about inclusion, we need to think about visual access as well as cognitive ease.
To further discuss Assistive Technology or Workplace Adjustments, please contact: wpateam@healthpartners.uk.com
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