The Journey: Finding a Community

Participants in the B.E.A.M. Project discuss their personal stories with each other in a roundtable.

The Chaldean Community Foundation (CCF) recently welcomed an individual from Great Britain who arrived in the United States for a 6-month clinical trial for his vision loss.

After some Google searching about the Middle Eastern Community here in Michigan, he decided to make a trip to Southeast Michigan. His travels led him to Sterling Heights where he was referred to the CCF.

He arrived at the Chaldean Community Foundation seeking to learn about CCF’s Breaking Barriers program, which provides services and advocacy to individuals with special needs. During his visit, he learned about the B.E.A.M. (Braille, English as a Second Language, Acculturation, and Mobility) Project, a program helping to better equip those with visual impairments to live independent lives.

He participated in programming and made new friends as he spoke about his passions for writing, reading, and composing music and his family in Great Britain. The group connected immediately and with help from one of the Breaking Barriers volunteers, he learned more about assistive technologies that could help him when he returns home to Great Britain. This story is shared by many who walk through the doors of the CCF, where all are encouraged to become a part of this large community.