Discovering Disabilities in Dearborn

Kassem joins us to talk about his wonderful sister, Mariam. Mariam was diagnosed with down syndrome but this did not limit her love for life and curiosity about the world. Tune in to hear about Kassem growing up with her, how it shaped his life, and how becoming her caretaker helped them form his perspective on the world. Support Kassem's businesses: Lavish Wedding & Event Rentals Demo Day...

We are returning from our hiatus with an episode about a great community organization, Creative Needs. With chapters now at several colleges in Michigan, we sat down with the University of Michigan members to learn more about what they are doing to help children with disabilities. They work with children with cognitive and intellectual disabilities to help stimulate their creativity, learn new ski...

Our latest episode is one of our most inspiring ones yet. We sat down with Asad, a passionate advocate for people with disabilities. Having been diagnosed late in his life with autism, Asad had to grow up learning various coping mechanisms for his daily life, never knowing why certain things that society tried to push onto him as "the norm" didn't feel right. Listen to his inspiring...

For the next episode, we get to sit down with one of DREAM's ver own members, Rawan Darouiche. Learn more about her job as a social worker, the impact it has on students, and the field itself. Rawan has been a long time advocate for Arab representation in the field of social work so that our community can be better served and get the resources it needs. We also get to hear some inside stories and...

Welcome back to season three of Discovering Disabilities in Dearborn. We are starting with one of our most interesting conversations this season - Khodr Farhat. He is a community activist and politician in Dearborn, always rooting himself in his faith and advocating for those who need it most. This inspiring talk coves his dedication to being a public servant and how to maintain a positive mindset...

After an exciting season, tune in for our season 2 finale with Mike Esseily, Director of Special Education at Dearborn Public Schools. With back to school season starting, we sat down with Mike to learn more about the special education initiatives in the school system. He gives us insights on the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure the best resources for all students and creating eq...

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Hind Omar, an aspiring lawyer and strong advocate for people with disabilities. Hind is legally blind and has grown up with various experiences navigating her disability, from receiving too many accommodations to having to prove herself and worth so she can be considered an equal. We learn more about her accommodation experiences, being an advocate for your...

In our next episode we talked with Aimee and Christina from Services to Enhance Potential, also known as STEP. STEP is a non-profit organizations with various programs and initiatives to serve the disabilities community in the larger Southeast Michigan area and focus on helping people with disabilities gain employment and achieve satisfaction with their work. Aimee and Christina oversee a number o...

To kick off the rest of Season 2, we had the chance to talk with Ali Alabbas. Ali owns a media production company, Insight Media Productions and is a member of the non-profit organization, Talk To Muslims, which focuses on providing support to the local Muslim community and empowering individuals to develop their skills and passions. Along with all of this, he is a loving father to a son with auti...

For the mid-season finale, we sat down with Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud to discuss what work is being done at the city-level for individuals with disabilities and what we can expect to see in the coming years. Mayor Hammoud comes from a public health background and has worked extensively to advocate for Dearborn and ensure everyone has the resources and accommodations they need to succeed. Lis...

Amanda Ibrahim Bannoura, a proud mother and passionate writer. Amanda was diagnosed with a learning disability in first grade and because of the lack of awareness and visibility, immediately felt different from her classmates. Listen to Amanda's story to learn more about learning disabilities and better understand the experiences associated with them and how she was able to overcome all this t...

In this episode we are joined by Danny Anouti, pharmacist and founder of Panacea Compounding Pharmacy, a pharmacy dedicated to a holistic approach at medicine that creates custom prescriptions to suit each patient's needs. We discuss Danny's Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis at age 15, the effect it had on his life from walking to ultimately founding his own pharmacy to fill the gap he found in...

Join us for our conversation with Sallah Mohamed, as we discuss how he became a paraplegic doing something he enjoyed and the change that has had on his life - from strengthening his relationships and allowing him to start focusing on the most important things in his life. Background music: Jazz Music by Bensound https://www.bensound.com/ Promoted by https://bit.ly/2Z816Aa Creative Commons — CC BY...

In this episode we are joined by Ibrahim Hamed and his mother, Yasmeen. Ibrahim was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and autism early on in his life. In this episode Yasmeen talks about Ibrahim's journey growing up with disabilities. We get to know Ibrahim on a more personal level. Background music: Jazz Music by Bensound https://www.bensound.com/ Promoted by https://bit.ly/2Z816Aa Creative Commo...

For our Season 1 finale we had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah Nassar, a law student at the University of Detroit Mercy and long-time advocate for people with disabilities. Sarah was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at a young age, which has shaped her life and experiences and become a huge advocate for disabilities from working towards better accommodations and inclusivity and one day hoping...

Mohamad Harb, a graduate student, with a Bachelor's degree in psychology joins us today to talk about his hearing disability. Throughout his childhood Mohamad developed hearing loss and gradually lost his hearing in both of his ears. This has shaped many of his experiences in life and we talk about his school accommodations, the deaf and hearing community, the prevalence of hearing disabilities, a...

Today we had a conversation with Corporal Brent King from the Dearborn Police Department, a well-known advocate for people with disabilities especially in the Dearborn community. We met him through a Blue Hands United Event for autism, representing the Dearborn Police Department. Cpl. King has worked on starting many initiatives within the Police Department to help accommodate and better understan...

We had the pleasure of speaking with Mariam Alaouie, co-founder of Blue Hands United and Autism Behavioral Specialist at a local school district. Blue Hands United is a nonprofit organization that was created to help support families affected by autism, something dear to Mariam as a mom of 3 sons - 2 of whom have autism. Our conversation focused on the founding of Blue Hands United and the work th...

We're joined by Jamila Sareini, a third year medical student, and Hassan Ayoub, an elcectrical engineer, in our latest episode to discuss parenting a newborn with a disability. Their son, Haidar, is now a year old and was born with Down Syndrome, which has caused many changes to their lives and has changed their perspective on things. Our conversation focuses on community resources, advocating for...

In this episode we talk with Wahbeh Nuseibeh, owner of @elegance_florals on Instagram, a current student at Wayne State University working toward his Bachelor's degree in special education, and a student teacher at Henry Ford Elementary. We discuss Wahbeh's disability, Spina Bifida, and his experiences growing up with it, education accommodations, adaptive technologies, traveling with a wheelchair...

Tune in to hear the rest of the conversation with Sayed Qazwini. We end our conversation with a discussion on the accommodations mosques should offer, attitudes and mentalities towards disabilities, and more. Background music: Jazz Music by Bensound https://www.bensound.com/ Promoted by https://bit.ly/2Z816Aa Creative Commons — CC BY 4.0 https://goo.gl/9ezBZw

Dearborn, Michigan is home to one of the largest Muslim populations in America. In this two-part episode, we speak with special guest, Sayed Mohammad Baqer Qazwini, to get a nuanced view of the Islamic perspective on disabilities. Sayed Qazwini graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Art in Sociology and is currently a scholar at the Islamic Institute of America, as well as an...

In our first episode of the show, we talk with Abe Obeid, better known as Halal Food Junkie, a foodie in the metro Detroit area. Growing up with his twin brother Acky, who has a cognitive disability, has shaped many of Abe's life experiences, including the way he runs his social media pages and his passion for giving back to the community. Our conversation centers around the story of Abe and Acky;...

We're excited to share the trailer of our upcoming podcast! Tune in to learn more about our team, goals, and mission. Background music: IlyaSound on Adobe Stock  ♪ Marshmellow (Prod. by Lukrembo) Link : https://youtu.be/y7KYdqVND4o