Parkinson’s UK

Parkinson's UK came to us with the desire to create a series of films that tell the story of the human impact of benefit cuts on people with Parkinson's. 

After many years of receiving government help people with Parkinson's are being stripped of their eligibility for benefits. Humiliating assessments, long and drawn-out tribunals leave those who appeal on their knees, while many do not have the energy to fight the system. John in the film describes the system as being 'set up to challenge people and assume that you are guilty of fraud from the outset'. 

The goal of the films was to educate the public about the difficulties people with Parkinson's face and to leverage MPs to put pressure on the government to improve the system and in particular improve the process for challenging benefit decisions for disabled people.

Our big challenge was to communicate a complex issue simply and clearly while encouraging an audience to connect with the human stories - to inform and move viewers. 

The charity built a social media campaign around the films advocating for change. A positive consequence of the sharing of these stories was the role it played in helping other disabled people negotiate the arduous and often humiliating process of accessing financial support.