Creating an Open Dialogue

As 

  a 

  sibling 

      of 

        someone

                with 

                    special needs

                                 it's 

                                   often 

                                          been 

                                                 difficult. 

There's the judgement and the stares and the jealousy, but there's also the

JOY

that comes with watching your sibling succeed, and really connect with others, others who make an effort to understand and be compassionate. 

Over the past two years, I have worked on a project to try and gain the empathy and understanding of school communities in Montgomery County, Maryland through both a book called Our Stories, which consists of 17 different siblings' stories, and a sibling panel for teachers and students. Watching students with and without special needs work together and include one another is something that needs to happen more often. 

We can work together to make it happen.