How Microsoft Copilot Helps People With Learning Differences Like Dyscalculia and Dyslexia

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In this short episode, I talk about the new features in Excel Copilot — and why they matter so much to me. I have dyscalculia, a learning difference that makes numbers incredibly difficult. For most of my career, Excel has been the tool that left me behind. I can’t hold more than four digits of a phone number in my head, I still count on my fingers, and sevens and nines in the times tables? They’ve never stuck. Spreadsheets have always taken me longer.

But now, with Microsoft Copilot in Excel, I finally have a way to work in language, not formulas. And that’s a breakthrough not just for me, but for anyone who has ever stared at an Excel formula bar in frustration.

This eBook is designed to show you exactly how Copilot can transform SharePoint metadata cleanup — turning messy exports into clear insights, without the headache of formulas or pivot tables.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Hi everyone, welcome back to Simply SharePoint.
Today's episode is a little bitdifferent.
It's personal, it's vulnerable,and it's also about something
that I think is going to changethe way a lot of us work.

(00:23):
I have dyscalculia.
which is a learning differencethat makes numbers really hard
for me to process.
And yet, I work with SharePointand Microsoft 365 every day.
For most of my career, Excel hasbeen the tool that I've really
struggled with, the one thatmade me feel excluded.

(00:44):
But now, with Microsoft's newco-pilot in Excel, that barrier
is finally gone.
And I wanna share why this is sopowerful, Not just for me, but
for anyone who's ever struggledwith numbers, formulas or even
words.

(01:08):
Let's start at the beginning.
I first realised I haddyscalculia more than 20 years
ago when I was working as aproject coordinator.
So picture this, a giantspreadsheet with a pivot table
was projected onto the screen ina meeting.
Everyone in the room was noddingalong as if it made perfect
sense.

(01:29):
And I just couldn't follow it.
I'll never forget it because Isat there staring at that thing
throughout the whole meeting,not getting it, not
understanding what everyone wastalking about.
That was the moment I realisedthat numbers would never come
naturally to me.
But truthfully, I'd beenstruggling long before that.

(01:54):
I can't hold more than aboutfour digits of a number in my
head.
So if someone gives me theirphone number, I can't dial it
without writing it down.
I'll forget halfway throughtyping.
I still count on my fingers.
Yes, as an adult.
I was always terrible with loosechange.
Standing at a shop countertrying to add coins in my head.

(02:17):
Honestly, it gave me anxiety.
And times tables.
Even today, as an adult, I stilldon't know them all.
Sevens and nines have neverstuck in my brain.
And the calculator story.
I once had someone show me overand over again how to work out a
percentage on a calculator.

(02:38):
I'd get it in the moment.
And then I'd come back andthey'd ask me again to show that
formula on the calculator.
And I just couldn't do it.
It was completely gone, eventhough we went over and over it
again.
Sometimes it was humiliatingbecause people just didn't
understand why I just couldn'tgrasp something so basic.

(03:01):
And this is why I nevervolunteered at the school
canteen.
Cash handling with children andmental maths, a total nightmare
for me.
But here's the thing.
I built a career anyway.
I leant into what my brain isgood at.
Structure, process,organization, information

(03:23):
architecture.
That's why I love SharePoint.
It's about structure andmeaning, not quick maths.
But Excel?
Excel has always been where Ifelt excluded.

(03:44):
So what is dyscalculia?
So let me pause here and explainit.
Dyscalculia is a learningdifference, like dyslexia, but
with numbers.
It affects about 5 to 7% of thepopulation, though most people
have never even heard of it.
It's not about being bad atmaths.
It's about the way your brainprocesses numbers, or doesn't.

(04:08):
Some people can look at numbersand just know exactly what to
do.
My brain doesn't work that way.
And for a long time, tools likeExcel reinforced that exclusion
because everything was formulas,syntax, calculations.
And then along comes Copilot.

(04:29):
So what does Copilot do inExcel?
I'll explain it simply.
There are two ways that Copilotworks in Excel right now.
First, there's the chat pane.
This is the one a lot of peoplealready have.
You select a range or a table,you type an instruction in plain
English, and Excel does it foryou.

(04:52):
I can say, highlight all itemsolder than five years, or find
duplicate file names, or groupdocument types into policy,
procedure, form, template.
And Copilot does it.
No formulas, no mental maths.
The second way, and this isbrand new, is the formula

(05:15):
version.
It's called equals copilot.
Instead of writing syntax, youtype in plain English inside a
cell and the results spill outin your sheet, just like equals
sum or equals vlookup would.
For example, I can type equalscopilot with the instructions

(05:37):
right in the cell.
So this is huge because it meansI can paste in a messy export
from SharePoint and Copilot willinstantly clean up my document
types, flag duplicates, bucketfiles by age, and suggest
lifestyle actions.
And every time that datachanges, the results update

(05:58):
automatically.
That's the difference.
Chat pane is great for one-offinstructions.
And when you enter thoseformulas in the cell, With
Ecopilot function, the formulamode makes it repeatable.
So now let me bring this back toSharePoint.

(06:19):
If you've ever exported datafrom a library, you'll know what
you get.
It's messy.
You'll see things likeinconsistent document types,
such as HR policy, HR underscorepolicy, human resources policy,
lots of blank owners, duplicatefile names, files that hadn't

(06:40):
been touched since 2013.
Traditionally, you'd spend hoursfiltering, sorting, and writing
formulas to make sense of itall.
With Copilot, you just ask inthe chat pane, highlight missing
owners.
And in the formula, you'd sayequals Copilot, and then in
brackets, map department valuesto HR, IT, finance, et cetera.

(07:07):
It's that simple.
And for me, someone who hasalways struggled with numbers,
it's like being given the keysto a room I was never allowed in
before.
So why this is a game changer.

(07:30):
And here's the part that mattersthe most.
For someone like me who hasalways struggled with numbers,
Copilot removes the barrier.
It lets me think in language,not formulas.
I don't have to get lost incalculations.
I can stay focused on meaningand structure, the things that
make SharePoint successful.

(07:52):
This isn't just a productivityboost.
It's accessibility.
It's empowerment.
And it's not just for peoplewith dyscalculia.
Anyone who has ever stared atthe Excel formula bar in
frustration will now feel therelief.
Let's not forget dyslexia.
For someone who struggles withwords, reading or spelling,

(08:16):
Copilot in Word and Outlook isjust as transformative.
It can summarise long documentsinto clear, simple points.
It can draft professional emailsin Outlook, removing the stress
of spelling and grammar.
It can pull action items fromTeams or OneNote.
Where dyscalculia blocksnumbers, dyslexia blocks words.

(08:41):
Copilot bridges both gaps bytranslating raw information into
something usable.
But this is about more thanproductivity.
Learning differences are ofteninvisible, but they affect
millions of people in theworkplace.
For too long, talented peoplehave been shut out of tasks

(09:04):
because they couldn't memorizeformulas, crunch numbers, or
write long reports.
AI tools like Microsoft Copilotare changing that.
By letting us work in plainlanguage, by giving us
summaries, suggestions, andclarity, Copilot reduces the
cognitive load.
It lets people focus on theirstrengths, not their weaknesses.

(09:30):
That's what accessibility reallymeans.
Right now, I'm using Copilot inthe chat pane.
And for me, that alone has beentransformative.
But I know the inline equalsCopilot formula is coming.
And when it lands, it will takethings to another level.
For the first time, Excel isfinally accessible to people

(09:52):
like me who have struggled withnumbers our whole lives.
And for anyone managingSharePoint, It's about to make
messy library cleanup simpler,faster, and more effective than
ever before.
Because at the end of the day,technology should work for all
of us.
And with Copilot, Excel finallydoes.