We’ve won some changes since Islington Tribune highlighted Fereshteh Khosroujerdy’s care charges and other discrimination against her as a blind woman needing specific support and accessible letters by email.

Fereshteh says: “Islington Council has promised to review my case, reduce the care charges, backdate this and refund me the difference in cash. But we’re waiting for them to confirm in writing. And the charges are still too high for the reduced hours I’m getting.” Watch this space for more news!

Fereshteh wrote to the Tribune:

I’m campaigning for a proper ‘Care Income’

Friday, 20th May

• THANKS to Anna Lamche and the Tribune for all the support and your article about my situation, (‘The cost of care has left me scared to shop’, May 13).

Since you got in touch with them, Islington Council have started to think about me. The finance team said they might reduce my charges to £90 a week, but this is still too much.

The care agency said, “We were always providing best possible service according to the needs highlighted in her support plan” but only now started to say they will train some carers to support me in a better way.

I recently joined WinVisible, which is very active for our rights as women with visible and invisible disabilities.

We are part of the London-wide and national Scrap Care Charges campaign. Contact us at www.winvisible.org to campaign together to abolish home care charges, as in Hammersmith & Fulham.

We are against profit-making companies in social care and the benefits system.

We support the Global Women’s Strike call for a Care Income – proper financial recognition of all caring work for people and planet, which we do for ourselves and others, and mothers and other carers do for us, which is now unwaged and low-paid.

This support would enable mutually respectful relationships and independent living of our choice to happen.

FERESHTEH KHOSROUJERDY
Address supplied