Why telling people’s stories is important
- Written by: Rachel Cairns — Development Officer - Lived Experience and Engagement
- Published: 10th June 2026
The ALLIANCE’s Humans of Scotland project works to challenge stigma.
“I quickly realised that I wanted to be an advocate for others to ensure that no-one was treated the same way I was.” – Nicoletta
Telling people’s stories is a way to break down barriers, tackle inequalities, and ensure people can live with dignity.
That’s why The Health and Social Care Alliance started our Humans of Scotland story telling series. Since it was established in 2016, the project has highlighted the stories and experiences of people living with long term conditions, disabled people and unpaid carers across Scotland. Its aim is to challenge stigma around health and social care and share different perspectives and the people behind the conditions.
Contributors have told us they appreciate the opportunity to connect their experience to policy makers, hoping to affect change and improve culture and attitudes; they want to improve a wider understanding of, and draw attention to, their experiences. Some grow in confidence and thrive on inspiring others to speak up.
Lived experience is at the core of the ALLIANCE work because:
- we aim to ensure people’s voices, expertise and rights drive policy sit at the heart of design, delivery and improvement of support and services
- to inform our work and policy stances
- highlight the personal impact of policy and share the concerns of our members
These stories are testament to the challenges faced by those living with long term conditions, their families and those who care for them.
So far, we have published four compilation books:
- Humans of Scotland – powerful and thought-provoking stories from people living with long term conditions
- Humans of Scotland – COVID-19 – the realities faced by disabled people, people living with long term conditions and unpaid carers during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- H is for Human – a collection of stories sharing a diverse range of perspectives on HIV
- Humans of Scotland – Community Links Worker Edition – shining a light on the Community Links Worker Programme, from those who have sought support for their local Community Links Worker, the GPs based in the practices and the Links Workers themselves
You can read all Humans of Scotland stories here
You can view and read all Humans of Scotland book collections here
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