Article:Siblings of disabled

[betheny]

This article looks at various aspects of the sibling relationship when one sibling is disabled. It also offers advice to parents in raising such families.

What about brothers and sisters?

by Anita M. Unruh & Joanne Gusella
From Abilities Magazine

"When someone in a family has special needs, everyone in the family is affected in some way. Parents are often faced with many challenges in trying to provide their child with optimal life experiences. Siblings also have many questions and concerns.

Relationships between sisters and brothers are very special, often lifelong relationships. Most of us can recall and continue to experience many happy and joyful experiences with our brothers and sisters, as well as times of anger, frustration, worry, disappointment and sadness.

Clinicians and researchers have been trying to understand the experience of siblings for some time. Examining the issues which may affect sisters and brothers is complex..."

What about brothers and sisters? (http://www.enablelink.org/abilities/archive.html?article=633)

C5/6 incomplete, injured Aug. 2000

[Abbers04]

What an interesting article. I definitely feel that Paul and I are so much closer now than we ever would have been otherwise. Up until that point, we were typical brother and sister...fighting all the time..."I hate you"..etc. I was a rising 6th grader with a brother who was in high school and had his own car...I was jealous, basically. I wanted to be older. The night it happened, the last thing I said to him was that I hated him -- all because he wouldn't take me with him. I honestly thought he was going to die with the last thing I ever said to him being something that awful. I never realized how much I loved or needed him until I almost lost him.

As for learning to be caring and tolerant of other people...definitely. I know his needs are more important than mine, and I honestly have no problem with that. I will gladly do whatever I can to help him and he knows that. I don't care what I have to give up to do it, either. I've never felt resentful...I'm just happy he's still here. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

~Life is what happens to you, while you're busy making other plans...~