As a child who was blind, Reem faced many challenges and difficulties in her home country of Iraq where few services and resources were available for visually impaired students. Her mother had to record all of her books and actually had to attend school with Reem every day to support her in the classroom. Many in the Iraqi education system refused to accept students with blindness, making her academic journey quite arduous. Seeking a better life, her family moved to the U.S where Reem attended the Colorado Center for the Blind. It was at this time that Reem discovered Learning Ally. As an ESL student, Reem found that using Learning Ally audiobooks with human narration greatly enhanced her ability to understand complex math concepts and actually was an “incredible tool in helping to learn and speak the English language.” Reem attributes Learning Ally with helping her achieve her goals and be an independent learner. “I remember when I first used Learning Ally, I went home made a cake and celebrated with my mom. My life would be forever changed.”
Reem is currently a student at the University of Colorado Denver and volunteers as a crisis counselor, working towards her PHD degree in psychology with the goal of becoming a professor and a counselor.