My Voices 2024 – our most recent event celebrating our 60th year – was held in Birmingham, and brought together people we support, family members and colleagues from all over the country to connect and share experiences.
It was amazing to have such a range of people represented – with everyone generously sharing their thoughts on substance use, mental health and learning disability services. Throughout the day, people shared their perspectives around reducing stigma, accessing and reaching services they need, and what good communication and connection looks like to them.
Stigma and discrimination remain ever-present in many people’s lives and can originate from society, employers, the media, and even our friends and family. People supported by our substance use services spoke about the pervasiveness of stigma surrounding drug use.
‘I remember one day my sister asking, “why do you hang out with those people” and I remember thinking, what do you mean those people – I am one of those people. It was really hard hearing this from my own sister.’
Many individuals supported by our learning disability services expressed the exhausting and constant struggle to be seen and valued within society. Within and beyond services, it is important that we are all advocates for people with a learning disability.
‘When I was younger and first tried to get a job, I remember overhearing someone saying “ugh, she could never hold down a job”. This really stuck with me… we need to start focusing on what people CAN do instead of what people CAN’T do… even if it’s as small as taking out the bins.’

For many, stigma becomes internalised, where you come to believe the negative messages or stereotypes about yourself. Within substance use, for example, this often makes people more reluctant to access services.
‘I think a great example of internalised stigma is the fact so many people want (service) hubs to be as discrete as possible – in places where no one goes out of fear of being recognised.’
Accessibility with health and social care remains a key issue and more needs to be done to ensure services are reaching those in need. This includes not only increased and strengthened outreach programmes but also fully capitalising on the moments when an individual first contacts a service. First impressions are crucial, and this is no different for our services.
‘When people walk through the (service) door – that is a golden moment – you may never see that person again. Services need to do everything they can to make sure that opportunity is grasped with both hands.’
Many people supported by Turning Point have multiple or complex needs. Their needs may have been overlooked or ignored. People struggling with mental health spoke about the fact that their diagnosis often overshadowed their other needs.
‘If you have been given a diagnosis, this tends to become all that people see. It makes it hard to get support for any other needs.’
The day finished with a session focusing on communication and connection. This really solidified for me what makes Turning Point so special – the community we have built over the past 60 years supporting people across learning disability, substance use and mental health.
The connection and collaboration between our peer mentors, along with the thousands of individuals who work or volunteer within our services and those who are supported by our services, together, shape Turning Point into an organisation to be proud of.
This blog was originally published by Turning Point. You can read the original post here.
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