The Five Human Technologies of Inclusive Support
The Five Human Technologies describe five relational conditions that can help make learning and support more inclusive — especially in education and mentoring. They offer ways of thinking about how calm, trust and shared meaning develop between people.
- Deep Listening – Listening beyond words to meet people where they are.
- Co-Regulation – Finding calm together through presence, breath, and attunement
- Social Safety & Trust – Safety is not a luxury; it’s the ground for learning.
- Rhythm & Flow – Learning has seasons and pace — rhythm sustains growth.
- Co-Created Meaning – Understanding emerges through dialogue and shared story.
Research & Practice
The Five Human Technologies grew from my work supporting neurodivergent and disabled students in higher education and from a wider interest in the relational conditions that help people learn.
I developed the framework more formally in Beyond Accommodations: Trust, Trauma, and the Human Technologies of Learning Support, presented at AMPS Pedagogy 2025 and subsequently published in the peer-reviewed AMPS Proceedings Series 47:3 (ISSN 2398-9467), p. 158.
From research into practice
The paper explores why accommodations and reasonable adjustments, while essential, may not be sufficient on their own. Effective support also depends on the human conditions surrounding learning — listening, regulation, trust, rhythm and shared meaning.
Since the conference, colleagues at the University of Manchester Library have used the Five Human Technologies as the basis for a staff workshop exploring inclusive practice and how their work with students might develop.