Sibling Engagement from an Athlete’s Perspective
Hi, my name is Ben Haack. I am an athlete from Special Olympics Australia.
I have a younger brother named Mitch. He is two years younger than me. My relationship with my sibling is very good, considering the challenges that we have both faced. I didn’t get diagnosed until I was seventeen. Before that, I went through some real hell, which my brother shared. School was a real battleground for me. I used to get beaten up regularly. I was quite often very withdrawn and socially awkward. I also would get upset about things a fair bit. My brother used to try to help me and stand up for me quite a lot. I also used to stand up for him quite a lot. I think we both had this inner guilt for what was going on. For me, I felt guilty for creating this hard situation. For him, it was not being able to do anything about it. Sure, we did fight, but we were always close.
Things changed when I got diagnosed with high functioning autism, thank God. Special Olympics did amazing things for me, and it helped ease the pressure we both had. My brother, over time, has come to really like and admire Special Olympics. He used to get jealous of the trips that I have gone on, but he has also supported quite a few fundraising efforts and has grown to really like it.
Sibling engagement is so important because the reality is that things can get very hard at times for the person with a disability, and that also impacts very deeply on the sibling. A good positive environment like Special Olympics and its focus on being Unified can create a great environment where both can achieve, where both can love each other, and a place where both can feel safe to be themselves, to be able to talk about things, and to not feel alone.
Siblings face major challenges. They have a sibling with a disability, who they love but who is fundamentally undervalued in society. So, they will face pressure to support their sibling but also to assimilate and have friends, which will make things very tough at times. Plus, they will also feel tremendous guilt over what happens to their sibling, and basically society still tells them that their sibling has no value. This constant discrimination will make things tough and painful.
Special Olympics’ focus on inclusion, youth, and Unified leadership is creating a positive environment where siblings with and without disabilities can achieve, love each other, feel safe, talk about things and not feel alone. Siblings need their families and in particular, their friends to be supportive and understanding, not judgmental. To me, this is why the #UnifiedGeneration is so important. Special Olympics programs like Unified Sports, Inclusive Youth Leadership, and Sibling Engagement will change these environments, so siblings can be involved in the life of their sibling with a disability without all of this external pressure, which basically says the opposite.
For resources on sibling engagement in Special Olympics, click here.
