Recently, the Community Foundation of the Fox Valley Region reported on the Autism and Me project that WisconSibs started a couple years ago. We were able to reach many kids growing up with a sibling with autism, but if we missed YOU, please let us know and we’ll get you a book.
Here’s the story –
If you saw our quarterly newsletter, SibNews July-September 2017, you met Jenni. Her older brother, Mike, has been a huge part of her life, including her career decision: special education [read more]
We have many people that make SibDays possible! We want to introduce who will be working with the campers, starting with the directors.
We are excited to welcome back Amy and Gretchen! Amy is returning as our fantastic Director! When not helping organize SibDays, Amy is a school counselor at Southern Door Elementary and her favorite holiday is Christmas. Besides being a fabulous Assistant Director, Gretchen keeps kids singing and dancing as a music teacher in Green Bay and her favorite holiday is Christmas.
Gretchen and Amy
Michelle is our new SibDays and Sibshop coordinator. She is not at camp with us this week because she just had a baby on Friday! With that being said, she has prepared and organized SibDays to a tee and has made the jobs of the directors easy:)
Michelle
Our sibling interns are taking the lead over at the older camp! Jyll and Karenna are serving as assistant directors for the first time. Both attend Concordia University Wisconsin, Karenna for Occupational therapy and Jyll for Social Work. Karenna is 19 and her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, because there is a whole lot of yummy food! Jyll is 20 and her favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day.
Karenna
Jyll and her brother Noah
Last, but certainly not least, we have the greatest Executive Director on the planet, Harriet! Harriet’s favorite holiday is Easter, because she doesn’t have to buy presents and everyone gets chocolate!
Harriet
Check back to meet the other counselors!
DOWNLOAD APRIL-JUNE 2017 SIBNEWS for more information, calendar of events, and more
Siblings want the best for their sisters or brothers with disabilities. That doesn’t mean they want the best to just be handed to them. They expect their siblings with disabilities to work, just like they do. It is a major concern for siblings and they have every reason to be concerned.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 11.3 percent in August 2016 compared to the unemployment rate of the population without disabilities of just 4.9 percent.
I’m pleased that WisconSibs and an awesome number of other local agencies and businesses are partnering on September 22 to hold a public meeting at Miron Corporation (Neenah) to discuss the barriers to employment for youth with disabilities. As a community, we’ll learn how we can help one another eliminate the barriers and in the process not only make a difference in that unemployment rate, but find a gold mind of talent and energy that can help our communities in Wisconsin grow. Plus it is FREE and you get dinner!!
Siblings – Check this out and register for the free event! Employing Youth with Barriers Flyer
 IDEA 1 – Get Life as an autism sibling: a guide for teens. Even if your sibling has a different diagnosis, this 6-page booklet is packed with great ideas from other teen siblings.Download by clicking here.
 IDEA 2 – Apply for the Teen Sib Leadership Award (or sign up for Teen Sib Leadership Day if you a previous award winner). This award is given to teen siblings (ages 13-17) that seek to be better leaders and have a heart for helping others. NOTE: Deadline extended to May 15. IDEA 3 – Have fun at Sib Camp (ages 9-16) or Teen Sibling Leadership Camp (ages 14 and older). Camping+hiking+ swimming+paddling+kayaking+lots more adventures+other kids who have siblings with disabilities=fun and friendships.Download Teen Sib Leadership Camp information and enrollment form Note: Deadline extended to June 1. $200 Campership available OR
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| Register Now! |
 IDEA 4 – Join SibTeen. SibTeen is a “closed” Facebook group. This means that others can see that you belong to SibTeen, but they can’t see what you’ve posted. Only other SibTeen members can see what you’ve posted to SibTeen. More information |
The weather in Appleton Wisconsin was absolutely gorgeous this weekend…something as Wisconsinites we dream about to get us through the months of winter blasts of cold and snow. So while I’ve been getting camps organized for the siblings who participate with WisconSibs Sib Camps since January, this weather also prompted me to finish Phillip’s (my son with disabilities) camp schedule.
If you are looking for camps for your child or adult with disabilities OR their siblings, check out this website for camps in Wisconsin. http://www.veryspecialcamps.com/Wisconsin/Special-Needs-Summer-Camps.shtml
You live outside Wisconsin or looking for a camp for a particular condition or disability? Go to http://www.veryspecialcamps.com/
Kids (and even adults) gain so many benefits from time away in the outdoors. They learn new skills, breathe fresh air, discover the wonders of outdoors, and meet people they may never have met otherwise. And parents, admit it, you could use the respite.
We’re still deep in the cold of winter (actually having a “snow day” today), but looking forward to the warm, fun days of summer! That means it is time to enroll in this summer’s Sibling Summer Programs. Enclosed is a brochure with the details. Take a look, dream about how much fun you’ll have this summer in the warm sunshine, and sign up early. These programs are very popular and fill fast!
For those who may have gotten a printed brochure with an error in the Sib Camp dates, the above dates are correct and the brochure has been corrected.
You can download this for corrections – WisconSibs Summer 2016 brochure-corrected dates
Hello all!
My name is Anna Benz, and I will be working with Wisconsibs as an intern for the spring and summer. I have been involved with Wisconsibs starting at age six. The first Sibshop I attended was at the former Appleton Children’s Museum, and we decorated Christmas cookies. Since then, I have attended numerous SIBshop and Sib Days of Summer, along with being a counselor at Sib Days for the past four years.
Like many sibs, one of the things I seek to do is to provide advocacy and understanding of what it’s like to live with a disabled sibling, and how to properly treat and respect those with disabilities. Essentially, it boils down to accepting and acknowledging them as if they were anyone else you’d meet in your daily life.
My brother Aaron has always been a big part of my life, just like any other brother or sister. What makes my brother unique from others is his differing abilities. When Aaron was 2 years old, he was diagnosed with PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder- not otherwise specified). This means that Aaron has many 
characteristics of autism, but is not categorized on the autism spectrum. Like autism, Aaron has difficulty with communicating, walking, and when schedules and routines are broken. In addition, Aaron is completely non-verbal, and needs to hold someone’s hand or use a walker to walk.
This has made many differences in my life too. Over time, our family has learned different visual cues and gestures to try and understand what Aaron needs. He also has a communication device to help him express his needs. The device (which we call his “talker”) then reads what he needs aloud. When people ask me if I wished my brother were “normal” I always say that some days are harder than others, but Aaron has always been my brother. His differing abilities bring many ups and downs, but I can’t imagine him any other way. Aaron’s personality, smile, and joy from the simple things in life remind me how much we are alike, and how much I love to proudly call him my brother.
One of the things I will be working on with Wisconsibs is updating the organization’s blog and Facebook page. If you would like to contribute your ideas, or if you have a vision of what this blog could become, feel free to comment below! Thank you for reading and supporting Wisconsibs.
From the National Alliance for Caregiving and the Sibling Leadership Network:
Department of Labor Clarifies Leave Protections for Some Siblings Under FMLA
There are over one million aging caregivers caring for adult relatives with disabilities. When aging parents are no longer able to provide care, siblings frequently take over the primary caregiving role. However, there has been a great deal of confusion about their eligibility for leave protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) during this transition. In general, FMLA does not currently cover siblings. Over the past year the National Council on Aging, Sibling Leadership Network, and other disability partners worked with the Department of Labor to issue new guidance clarifying eligibility for this population of caregivers. Learn more about the new guidance, and check out the fact sheet on FMLA.