End discrimination against assistance dogs

by Catherine Azam in Congleton, Cheshire East, United Kingdom

Total raised £160

raised so far

3

supporters

Let's hold the hospital accountable for their discrimination! Ensure disabled individuals can access hospital services with dignity

by Catherine Azam in Congleton, Cheshire East, United Kingdom

We're still collecting donations

On the 9th September 2024 we'd raised £160 with 3 supporters in 42 days. But as every pound matters, we're continuing to collect donations from supporters.

Help Us Fight Disability Discrimination:

 Support Ahmad and His Assistance Dog!

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 My name is Catherine, and I am the proud mother and full-time carer of Ahmad, a resilient and inspiring boy living with CHARGE syndrome.

What is CHARGE syndrome? 

CHARGE is a genetic condition with a spectrum of features including hearing, speech, and vision problems, heart defects, developmental delays, sensory integration issues, and challenges with eating, drinking, sleeping, and communication.

Ahmad's life began with immense challenges. Immediately after birth, he was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit because he couldn't breathe. His difficulties didn't end there—he couldn't swallow and had multiple birth defects, including a heart defect and hearing and vision impairments. By the age of four, Ahmad had undergone 11 surgeries and had been rushed to the hospital multiple times.

Despite doctors' predictions that he would be non-verbal, dependent on a gastric tube for feeding, and need a walker for mobility, Ahmad now talks non-stop, can run, and eats more than enough for a whole football team! Every milestone was hard-fought, including battling professionals who doubted the benefits of his treatments.

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Our Recent Struggle

Unfortunately, our fight for Ahmad's rights and dignity continues. Recently, Ahmad and his assistance dog faced severe discrimination at North Staffordshire Hospital. Despite his dog being calm and well-behaved, staff falsely accused the dog of soiling the floor. After making a formal complaint, we were met with further lies and harassment from the Matron on the children's outpatient clinic, leading to a toxic relationship with the hospital. 

As a special needs mum I had to suffer abuse, bullying and gaslighting, because my son relies on an assistance dog.

We now have to travel 5 hours to London to get Ahmad the medical support he needs.

Our Call to Action

We need your help to raise £5,000 to file a discrimination lawsuit. We seek an official apology from the Matron, public acknowledgment of her unprofessional conduct, and compensation for the additional travel expenses and hardship we now face. Disabled individuals deserve to attend hospital appointments with dignity and without unjust accusations.

What We Aim to Achieve

- Hold the hospital accountable for their discrimination.

- Ensure disabled individuals can access hospital services with respect and dignity.

- Obtain compensation for our increased travel expenses and the emotional toll of this experience.

Next Steps

We are filing a lawsuit against the North Staffordshire Hospital staff for discrimination. We aim to gather testimonies from families present on the day of the incident to prove our case. We want to expose the false claims made by the hospital staff and fight for justice for Ahmad and his assistance dog.

How You Can Help

Your contribution will help cover the legal fees needed to pursue this case. Please support us by donating and sharing our story.

Thank You!

Your support means the world to us. Together, we can make a difference and ensure that no disabled person has to endure what we have gone through.

 

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Rewards

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Free IT consulting - AI safety and Data governance

I am a female autistic AI engineer who is also a full-time carer to a severely disabled child. I have been bullied all my life, because I do not know how to ask for help or get sympathy from people. But I do know how to build AI Software. In exchange for help I offer a one hour consulting session in my field of expertise: for AI safety and Data Privacy. This is mostly useful to businesses and public organisations.

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