Whenever I’ve been asked to describe my life being the younger sibling to someone with a disability, I always use the same analogy: It’s like walking into a film that’s halfway through. The reason I use this analogy is because I have only been around following my sister’s illness. My images of life before I … Continued
Sam Carlisle (2025) ‘A STAKE IN THE HEART’ I felt I’d failed my brother, 17, on day he died & couldn’t say his name as I hid the pain, says Traitors star Alexander’ Kelle Salle (2024) ‘I was just 7 years old when I saw my brother laughed at for his disability’ Emma Dooney (2023) … Continued
The Special Needs Sibling Podcast (2023 – current) “A space where we talk about what life is REALLY like as a sibling to someone with a mental and/or physical disability.” Listen on your favourite platform “The series as a whole is presented by someone who is an adult sib herself – Charlene, who is in … Continued
Zach’s twin brother Reuben, is autistic and non-verbal. Reuben started to use an Augmentative Communication Device (ACD) but struggled to bond with the standardised voice that came with it. Zach offered his own voice, to make the device more personal. “I volunteered to do it because I think it’s very special for Ruben and very … Continued
Composer, violinist & sound artist Ruby Colley invites you to the premiere of her new vocal work ‘Hello Halo,’ performed with Exaudi Ensemble, a leading vocal ensemble for new music. There are two premiere performances: Kings Place, London 1st Feb Liverpool Philharmonic 3rd Feb (free tickets for 2pm performance here and 8pm performance here) This … Continued
An Irish Goodbye (2022) “On a farm in rural Northern Ireland, estranged brothers Turlough (Seamus O’Hara) and Lorcan (James Martin) are forced to reunite following the untimely death of their mother (Michelle Fairley). But when the pair discover an unfulfilled bucket list belonging to their late mum, their pained reunion takes an altogether different course.” … Continued
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