Register Now: Sibling Conference, Aug. 7 & 8 in Greenwich, CT!

proudly present the

International Sibling Conference: Exploring the Rewards and Challenges of Having Family Members with Disabilities

Saturday, Aug. 7
& Sunday, Aug. 8, 2010

The Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1800 East Putnam Ave.
Old Greenwich, Connecticut

Featuring keynote speakers:

Don Meyer

Director of the Sibling Support Project

Chris Burke

best known for his role as Charles "Corky" Thatcher

on the hit ABC-TV show "Life Goes On”

Cheryl & Clarence Wills

Cheryl, anchor and reporter, NY1 News and her brother

Clarence, a talented artist who has autism

Dr. Tamar Heller

Professor and Director,

Institute on Disability and Human Development,

and of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center

on Aging with Developmental Disabilities at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC);

and

Tia Nelis

Vice President of Self Advocates Becoming Empowered

and Self-Advocacy Specialist, UIC.

The International Sibling Conference will provide the siblings of people with disabilities, individuals with disabilities, parents, spouses/partners and professionals in the disability field opportunities to share stories and information, gain insight on sibling experiences, and to learn more about current research and best practices in the disability field.

To register for the International Sibling Conference or for more information, please visit http://www.siblingconference.org/ or contact Dr. Robert J. DiDomenico, Conference Coordinator, at 203-324-9258 ext. 3014, or didomenicor@arict.org.

Make Your Voice Heard for a New Sibling Book!

Don Meyer, Director of the Sibling Support Project, and I are writing a new book for siblings of people with disabilities tentatively titled, "The Sibling Survival Guide." We are very excited about this new project and we want to write a book that really meets the needs of sibs everywhere. Let us know what you would like to see by taking this brief survey. Thank you!

Saturday, April 10 is National Siblings Day!

Saturday, April 10 is National Siblings Day! Take some time on this special day to honor your sibling and yourself! Please:

- Write something about your sibling and yourself here!

- Visit sibsNY on Facebook and post something about your sibling, the relationship you share, or how you're going to celebrate Sibling Day on the sibsNY page!

- Check out other sibling stories from across the country at the Sibling Support Project!

Job Opportunity

Part-time job at the Self-Advocacy Association: NCI Survey


The Self-Advocacy Association of NYS is looking to hire someone part-time to help us administer a consumer survey to people using OMRDD services. The work will involve arranging survey interviews, and supporting a self-advocate surveyor in conducting the surveys. The populations surveyed will include: Day Hab participants, Family Supported clients, Family Care clients, & Self-Determination/Consolidated supports participants, as well as family and staff members of people with developmental disabilities.

The surveys are a part of the National Core Indicators (NCI) project, whose purpose is to identify and measure core indicators of performance of state developmental disabilities service systems. The NCI project is vital in helping determine where NYS (and various regions within NYS) stands in its delivery of services and supports to people with developmental disabilities as compared to other states. Currently, around 30 states participate in NCI. 



Specifically we are looking to hire someone:

- With experience in the developmental disability field, such as a parent, sibling, or staff

- Willing to work part-time (10-15 hours/wk)

- Who is comfortable working with and supporting self-advocate surveyors

- Who is able to travel around the Bronx and Manhattan

- Who is able to work during daytime hours during the week

- Who is available to work until the end of May 2010

Note: Please do not apply if you currently have a full-time day job!

The job will last either until the end of May 2010, or potentially earlier if the surveys are completed ahead of deadline. Pay is $13/hour and travel will be reimbursed.

If you are interested in this position, please email your resume, a cover letter, and the days and hours you are available to work during the week to Rachel Hayward at rhayward@sanys.org.

October Screenings of "Rachel Is" by sibling Charlotte Glynn

Join us for a screening of Rachel is, by filmmaker and sibling Charlotte Glynn!

Manhattan: October 7, 6 p.m.
Anthology Film Archives (2nd Street and 2nd Ave.)
This screening will be followed by a brief discussion organized by YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities.

Westchester: October 14, 6 p.m.
The Jacob Burns Film Center, Pleasantville
This screening will be followed by a discussion organized by the Westchester Arc.

Rachel is - an honest, heartbreaking and funny film about disability, family ties and the universal struggle for happiness.

In her feature directorial debut, Charlotte Glynn moves home to chronicle the last year of school for her sister, Rachel. Rachel has a developmental disability. Rachel is mysterious, funny, difficult and full of contradictions. Without the skills to comfortably inhabit adult life, and with limited services to help her develop them, Rachel and her family don’t know what she will do when she finishes school. Yet what Rachel longs for most is what most people her age want – greater independence – a seemingly impossible dream that is taking its toll on her family relationships.

Rachel is moves past the safety of political correctness and into the most intimate and honest moments in one family's life as a sibling searches to understand how her sister with a disability sees the world and how the world sees her.

www.rachelis.com

Sibling Leadership Network Response to the Passing of Senator Edward Kennedy

The following is a statement by Dr. Tamar Heller, Professor and Head of the Department of Disability and Human Development in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Heller is a member of the Steering Committee of the Sibling Leadership Network (SLN). For those of you who may not be aware, she and several siblings from the SLN met with Senator Kennedy at our first conference in 2007 and had a chance to talk to him about the importance of siblings to people with disabilities.

It is indeed a sad day with this country losing such a strong advocate for people with disabilities as Senator Kennedy. I treasure the time that I and a small group of us had the opportunity to meet with him in his office to discuss the needs and concerns of siblings of people with intellectual disabilities. As a brother of a sister with intellectual disabilities he expressed a passionate interest in the topic, emphasizing his commitment to addressing this issue and his interest in our nascent Sibling Leadership Network, which was having its first national meeting that week in DC. With his charm and glistening blue eyes, he graciously gave us his attention and beckoned his photographer to snap some pictures of us with him. I think we will all remember the excitement we felt at that meeting and mourn the loss of this great statesman.

-Tamar Heller, Ph.D.

Great Sibling Article

This article captures many aspects of the sibling experience and quotes some national experts - definitely check it out! http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/Life_is_tough_when_sibling_has_disability.html