Disability Arts Online

When did your life change for the better? What was the moment when you decided to head in a different direction and never looked back? 

Lead by Chris Tally-Evans Turning Points is a nationwide story-telling project that aims to inspire and change the lives of others by collecting stories from people of all ages, abilities and walks of life. Tell your story and become one of the Turning Points community.

Chris won an Unlimited Film and Digital Commission to develop Turning Points and explore his passion for people's individual stories, bringing together his background in community arts with his work in digital storytelling and broadcasting.

Turning Points is about those key moments in our lives, those turning points that help us define ourselves and become what we are - unique. They're moments in time that are essentially common to everyone, even though how they occur may be completely different.

In text, audio and video formats, the Turning Points website contains a range of stories. Chris shares his own story about how telling a social worker to go away was one of the best things he ever did. Kay Jenkins tells how her fierce independence made a life or death decision easy and how she had to fight to work and help others. Jon Luxton tells a story about how being run over by a fool in a Nova can be a good thing. Caroline John talks tells a story about how driving with the back door of the car open led to the birth of her son.

Some of the best stories will be featured in a short film which will form part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad. You can send your story as an email or text file (both up to 400 words), or an audio or video clip (no longer than 5 minutes and up to 10MB), along with a photo of yourself, or one that illustrates your story if you’d like, to turningpoints@hotmail.co.uk

Why not have a look at or a listen to some of the stories on the Watch, Listen or Read pages to see other people’s Turning Points?  Share your own story on the Turning Points website and be part of an inspirational future.