Being a sibling can be complicated and challenging. Many siblings grow up not knowing there are other people out there with similar experiences, but it can really help to know that you’re not alone. In this section, adult siblings share their stories of life with their disabled brother or sister.
Non-fiction Looking After: A Portrait of My Autistic Brother By Caroline Elton (2025); Penguin “Meet Lionel, Caroline’s older brother. Born in the late 1940s, when little was known about autism […] When Lionel’s mother dies, and shortly after he is diagnosed with cancer, his two sisters struggle to fill the void – to become Lionel’s … Continued
Dear Connor, I sometimes sit and wonder just how different life would be if the Gods had made you the “standard” of what a young man should be. I wonder if you’d be out all day, playing with your friends. Or chatting up the girls and driving our Mum round the bend! Would you have … Continued
‘My sister, Katy’, the three most common words which come out of my mouth everyday. Like any little sister, I absolutely idolised my big sister growing up. I always knew that she was different but I didn’t fully grasp that being ‘different’ wasn’t really accepted by society. I always saw my sister as the most … Continued
I met my partner Isobel at work almost ten years ago. Neither of us were open about our sexualities at this point. We were good friends for around a year before getting together. I told Isobel about my sibling situation very early on as having a partner who accepted my family and all that it … Continued
My sibling situation that brings me here to Sibs is that my youngest sister has Down’s Syndrome. Like most of us it’s not that simple. There are many other facets to my identity associated with my family. My sibling to sibling relationship is probably the most simplest part of it. The most complex is my … Continued
My partner and I met through a dating app in my early 30s. We did our own thing after the first couple of dates, then came back together the next year. We lived apart in different cities in the UK for the first 2.5 years. We took our time in building a relationship. Our lives … Continued
By my mid 20s I had begun to realise that any boyfriend I brought home had to pass the fairly rigorous test of being able to love my family as well as me. It was a big ask, with two elder brothers who have learning disabilities due to Fragile X syndrome. My family seemed full … Continued
For as long as I can remember, I have been close to my sisters. I’m the youngest of three – it feels like having two best friends who will always look out for me. I was drawn to Sibs because one of my sisters, Joanna, has autism and a learning disability. When Joanna and I … Continued
My brother Richard is two years younger than me, and has severe physical and learning disabilities. He presents as if he has Cri du chat syndrome, but he is much more aggressive and hyperactive with significant behavioural difficulties. He can’t talk, he needs 24 hour care and he has a lot of health problems associated … Continued
Guilt…. It’s a feeling defined in the dictionary as ‘the fact of having committed a specified or implied offence or crime’ or ‘making someone feel guilty in order to induce them to do something.’ One of these definitions resonates more with siblings than the other, but where does the guilt from come? Does it come … Continued
Would you like to help other siblings by sharing your own story? Please get in touch.