Scope uses Microsoft 365 Copilot to remove barriers and empower every employee

At Scope, a UK-based disability equality charity, accessibility isn’t just a mission. It’s a daily reality for employees like Nana Kabagwira, an evaluation officer at the organization, which supports 4.6 million disabled people each year. In her role, she speaks with potential focus group participants, reviews qualitative and quantitative data, and informs policy decisions.

Even with her expertise, daily interactions with technology can be challenging. “Cerebral palsy affects my speech, coordination, and balance, and sometimes makes typing difficult.”

Leaders at the organization knew Kabagwira wasn’t alone. Other colleagues were also struggling with technology that had evolved without a clear strategy, creating accessibility challenges across the workplace. “I remember getting an email from a colleague who said they loved Scope and its mission, but our technology and processes were holding them back,” says Kwesi Afful, executive director of digital and marketing at Scope. “Part of our mission is to remove barriers to accessibility so that people can pursue careers and live fulfilling lives. I realized that internally, we were missing that mark—and something had to change.” 

Standardizing and simplifying the digital environment

Scope set out to better fulfill its mission—to create an equal future with disabled people—within its own organization. Over time, Scope had adopted software tools without a cohesive technology strategy. Some tools were underused, while others didn’t share data, requiring employees to spend time on manual reentry. This fragmented environment also introduced cybersecurity risk. To address these challenges and improve accessibility for disabled employees, leaders set out to design a more unified, strategic approach.

To move forward, Scope teamed with Microsoft and UK-based partner, Phoenix. “We had several sessions to map out both short- and long-term strategies to help us be as impactful as possible,” says Afful. “From the beginning, it felt like a true partnership—we felt seen as an organization. Phoenix was flexible and adaptable throughout implementation, recognizing that we are a disability charity, not a business.” The organization worked closely with Phoenix to ensure all colleagues had time and space to learn. Training was delivered in accessible formats and supported by in-person and virtual sessions.

Scope replaced aging laptops and identified opportunities to improve productivity with Microsoft solutions. To shift from a reactive to proactive approach to security, leaders adopted Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Defender, and Microsoft Sentinel. “These tools help us stay ahead of increasing cyber threats against nonprofits like ours,” Afful says. “They give us peace of mind that we’re not leaving any part of the organization exposed.” The organization is also applying clear governance and ethical standards to its use of AI, ensuring that new tools are developed and deployed responsibly.

Scope also implemented Microsoft 365 to reduce manual work and improve collaboration. “Many of our colleagues struggled to work collaboratively and spent hours reconciling different versions of documents,” says Afful. At the same time, Scope looked for ways to make its tools more accessible for employees with disabilities, setting a clear expectation that all new tools must remove barriers rather than creating them. “We wanted to test whether generative AI could help us deliver on our strategy,” says Afful. “Copilot stood out because accessibility is built in, and it helps us surface actionable data more easily.”

Copilot broadens access to expertise

Since rolling out Microsoft 365 Copilot to all staff in November 2025, Scope has rapidly scaled its use across the organization. Colleagues now use Copilot daily to support writing, capture meeting insights, and perform analysis, with more than 26,560 prompts recorded in a typical month. Scope has also developed more than 640 AI agents to support specific tasks and workflows, supported by a network of Copilot champions embedded across every directorate.

Scope embedded organization-wide accessibility and quality with its Hargreaves engine, which allows employees to load a document into Copilot and receive real-time feedback on accessibility, tone, and clarity, measured against internal standards. These changes reduce subjectivity, increase confidence, and help staff produce accessible content from the start.

By reducing the effort required for manual processes, Copilot allows colleagues to focus on their work and contribute more effectively. “No matter what challenges our colleagues are facing, Copilot magnifies each person’s ability,” says Afful. “It allows all of our colleagues to shine.”

For disabled colleagues, the impact is immediate. “It removes some of the friction of my daily tasks,” Kabagwira says. “Instead of having to take notes in a meeting, I can focus on what’s being said and respond right away.”

Embracing agentic AI for problem-solving

One of Scope’s goals is to reduce barriers to employment for disabled people across the UK. To help close the disability employment gap, the organization is developing agentic AI-powered tools—systems that can take action and respond dynamically to user needs—to support both employers and job seekers.

Building on Scope’s experience using AI internally, these tools aim to provide immediate, conversational guidance. Employers will have access to clear, actionable information to help them create more accessible recruitment practices. A complementary tool for job seekers will provide support when applying for roles and identifying accessible software and environments.

Scope is also developing an employer-facing AI platform designed to reduce time spent on administrative tasks. By helping users draft communications, summarize key information, and find relevant guidance quickly, the platform will support more confident and inclusive hiring decisions.

Scope empowers its own people

As part of its rollout of Microsoft 365 and Copilot, Scope ensured every employee had dedicated time and space to learn.

“The content was recorded in accessible formats so all colleagues could review it,” Afful explains. “We also held an agent-in-a-day session to show that anyone in our organization could create a usable AI agent in just one day.” Scope invited employees to attend in-person events across the UK and hosted a simultaneous online session, generating more than 140 ideas.

Scope Chair Sir Robin Millar considers the organization’s technological evolution as a significant step forward. “The more inclusive you are, and that includes employing more disabled people, the better your organization will do,” says Millar. “Just as we strive to embody the principles of inclusion in our workforce, we must also adopt the most effective tools to make a difference—and move closer to an equal future for disabled people.”

With internal barriers to accessibility reduced, Scope is better positioned to drive impact beyond the organization. Today, Nana Kabagwira uses Copilot to streamline her workday. “I used to spend a lot of time just working around the tools,” she says. “Now, my thinking and analysis can be judged for the work it produces rather than the effort it takes to produce.”

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