Lived experience of a civil servant with autism and dyslexia
The content and resources provided in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical or legal advice. We hope this information can set you on a pathway to learning more about neurodiversity in the workplace. To ensure the highest quality content for our readers, all our articles are co-edited by Jane McColl, Senior People Manager at CareScribe. Happy reading!
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How can assistive technology help neurodivergent professionals thrive at work? Beverley’s story shows us.
We talk a lot about inclusion at work. It’s in policies, values statements, and PowerPoint slides. But for many neurodivergent professionals, inclusion can still feel distant from day-to-day reality.
Meetings that move too fast. Instructions shared verbally but not followed up in writing. Conversations full of overlapping voices and sudden topic changes. A flood of information that’s impossible to process in real time.
These are the everyday moments that can make capable, talented people feel like they’re always one step behind not because they lack ability, but because workplaces aren’t always designed for the way different minds work.
This month, we’re sharing Beverley’s story. She’s a civil servant who is autistic and dyslexic, and she also lives with hearing loss and fibromyalgia. Her experience is a powerful reminder of how the right support, at the right time can completely change someone’s working life.
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The reality of trying to “keep up”
Before Beverley had access to assistive technology, meetings were a constant source of stress.
“As somebody who’s both dyslexic and autistic, keeping up with complex conversations and instruction in real time has always been a challenge,” she told us.
Every week brought multiple meetings, each one a test of endurance. She’d try to take notes, listen carefully, and process new information all at once. That constant juggling act meant she couldn’t fully engage in the moment or contribute her ideas confidently. “It always felt like a barrier to performing at my best and also career progression,” Beverley shares with us.
For years, this was her normal: working twice as hard to stay on the same page, and feeling drained by the effort it took to “keep up”.
From keeping up to thriving at work
Things started to shift when Beverley’s workplace introduced assistive technology that actually met her needs. In her case, that tool was Caption.Ed, our captioning and note-taking software.
“When I started to use Caption.Ed, it really captures everything said in a meeting so I don’t have to worry about keeping up and writing at the same time,” she says. That simple change freed up so much mental energy. Beverley could stay present in conversations, engage with her team, and focus on what was being said, not on scrambling to capture it.
She now uses her captioning and note-taking tool to create clear notes and briefings after meetings, helping her stay organised and confident in her responses. “It’s removed barriers,” she says, “it’s given me confidence, and it’s allowed me to focus on contributing.”
Watching Beverley share her experience, you can feel the difference: the difference that comes from feeling heard, supported, and able to do your job without constant strain.
The takeaway?
When we talk about workplace inclusion, it’s easy to jump straight to training sessions or policy updates. Those things matter, but inclusion also happens in the small moments:
The moment someone can follow a fast-paced meeting without anxiety.
The moment they can contribute ideas without worrying about missing key information.
The moment they feel like their brain works with their job, not against it.
For HR and inclusion leaders, the message is simple: creating inclusive workplaces doesn’t always mean overhauling everything. Sometimes, it starts with one conversation, one person, and one tool that helps remove a barrier.
And the good news? In the UK, the Access to Work scheme can fund assistive technology at no cost to employers or employees. It’s a brilliant way to provide support quickly and fairly. And if you’re looking to roll out accessible tools more widely, as CareScribe, we can help make that process straightforward.
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The wider picture: neurodivergence at work
For many autistic and dyslexic professionals, the challenges Beverley describes are far too common.
Research shows that autistic adults are more likely to face barriers around communication and sensory processing, especially in environments where information moves fast. And people with dyslexia often struggle with memory load and information sequencing, making it harder to keep up in complex discussions without written support.
These challenges don’t reflect a lack of skill or intelligence. They reflect a mismatch: between how workplaces typically run and how different brains take in and process information.
As an employer, when you invest in workplace adjustments, whether that’s captioning software, flexible communication formats, or accessible meeting structures, you invest in the hidden potential of your neurodiverse teams.
As Beverley told us, “Caption.Ed has removed barriers, it’s given me confidence, and it’s allowed me to focus on contributing.” And that’s what inclusion really looks like: not just awareness or accommodation, but empowerment.
CareScribe is on a mission to make the world more accessible. We build assistive technology which levels the playing field for people with disabilities and enables users to be more independent in their studies and at work. Our small but mighty team builds software that thousands of people love: lightning-fast dictation software, TalkType, and our live-captioning and note-taking product, Caption.Ed. Explore how CareScribe can help you create a more inclusive workplace.