An awareness project to combat stigma has launched

This new awareness project has been in development for five years.

The “Stop the Stigma” project was created online to inform and remind everyone of their responsibility to reduce negative stigma towards neurodivergent people.

This project was developed following several years of negative news coverage, which has wrongly stigmatised neurodivergent individuals and those with specific difficulties. It also became clear that there was a gap in understanding what can be done to prevent and reduce negative stigma—particularly where certain viewpoints wrongly blame an individual’s difficulties, when in reality everyone shares responsibility for preventing and reducing stigma.

The online project includes the following areas:

Anti-stigma tips
These provide five essential areas as a starting point to discourage and prevent stigmatising attitudes, judgements, and behaviours.

Change of approach guides
These offer detailed information that everyone should be aware of in order to reduce stigma and better support neurodivergent people.
These are divided into five guides.

There are four guides tailored for neurodivergent individuals. In addition, there is a general guide for everyone, including family members, friends, the general public, and professional contacts of neurodivergent people.

The overall aim is to encourage people to think more carefully and avoid making quick or unjust judgements, especially where such judgements can lead to negative consequences in how individuals are perceived and treated.


Explore the “Stop the Stigma” project online

via the Plus Value Awareness website.

This project is a combination of Creative & Awareness

Note to editors

Plus Value Awareness
The Plus Value awareness initiative is a family of projects, information & campaigns about challenges understanding and awareness for people with invisible difficulties, to see a more human rather than medical aspects and to promote and to educate a better sense of value. Eventually to develop this awareness initiative to provide in the future potential services, products and social mission activities as part of the umbrella identity Aware+Vision

Hidden differences are used to describe independent people which live with specific neurological difficulties or Anxiety which is not noticed. This is associated with moderate or mild psychological and learning-related conditions (including a mild form of autism through to, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD & Social Anxiety).

Differences Originals
The online feature contains a family of specialised projects with a different perspective compared to the general Plus Values Awareness projects. Also Differences Originals presents a family of legacy project created by Keith Mckenzie Since 2000.

Keith Mckenzie
Keith is an awareness campaigner, a creative designer (Graphic design and digital art) and a salsa dancing participant

With a background in Art & Design (including Graphic Design & Digital art) and a participant in music-related film documentaries, events & record label project King Of the Beats including filming and behind the scene preparations.

Keith was educated at Hereford College of the Arts, the University of Northampton, Birmingham City University and Google's Digital Garage. Since 2000, he has developed over twenty years in providing awareness projects, campaigns and activities with the Awareness brand Plus Value Awareness along with Differences Originals. Also are involved with salsa classes in the local community as an assistant. Also have participated in major dancing conventions in Birmingham for Birmingham Latinmotion and London's ManboCity.

In 2022, Keith become a featured community participant for Birmingham who became part of special projects and campaigns to promote a positive legacy beyond hosting the commonwealth games