Thread by @yonalunsky

Tomorrow is #NationalSiblingsDay in Canada. As difficult as things are today, I want to make sure we pause to acknowledge and celebrate siblings tomorrow, with and without developmental disabilities. 1/

Our UK colleagues @Sibs_uk have just released a report on sibs of kids with disabilities and the impact lockdown has had on them. You can read their report here and see the news coverage on @BBCNewsround
here bbc.co.uk/newsround/5666… 2/

“Sibs should not be the forgotten children. We call on government to make sure that siblings of disabled children are recognized as children in need of recovery support, as part of a whole family approach” said @Sibs_uk Chief executive @clkgibson 3/

I know this will apply here in Canada as well. This weekend, we need to pay attention these sibs, & our efforts to support kids with disabilities must include their brothers & sisters too. We needed to be doing this before the pandemic began, and we certainly need to now. 4/

Here in Canada, @camhnews and @sibcollab have been working together to understand the experience of adult sibs. Last year on #NationalSiblingsDay we published our study of adult sibs in Ontario. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.111… 5/

I posted about my own sister, who even in the darkest of times, can find the positive in that moment of being together however “together” may be.

https://twitter.com/yonalunsky/status/1248755551955189764

6/

We gave a big shout out to the sibs who were quickly responding, adjusting, pivoting to the lockdown, scrambling to put some supports in place, and to share information as quickly as possible. 7/

And we pivoted our own research so we could better document and understand the sibling experience during COVID-19. 8/

https://twitter.com/yonalunsky/status/1322546199212236803

We share an update to our fall report on Cdn Siblings tomorrow as part of #NationalSiblingsDay . And I will spend my day using this platform to recognize the courage, creativity, and commitment of the many brothers and sisters I have worked with & learned from this past year 9/

Getting ready? Why not listen to our podcast where hosts Daniel and Victor, two brothers with disabilities interview two sisters from Azrieli, who talk about their experience growing up with sisters with disabilities. 10/

https://twitter.com/HCARDD/status/1380143893761626112

If you know someone with a developmental disability, you probably know a brother or sister too. They might not know it is #NationalSiblingDay tomorrow, or that we have a national organization @SibCollab created by sibs for sibs where they can find peer support & info /fin