The Impact of Siblings with Disabilities on Their Brothers and Sisters Pursuing a Career in Special Education

Abstract

It is well known that growing up with a sibling who has a disability has both positive and negative impacts on the non-disabled sibling (Beckman, 2002; Fisman, Wolf, Ellison, & Freeman, 2000; Gans, 1997; McHugh, 2003). In fact, the concern for ameliorating the potential negative impacts on nondisabled siblings has been a major impetus for the development of sibling support groups and agencies serving families of children with disabilities for a number of years (Gallagher et al., 2000; Powell & Gallagher, 1993). This article reports on a project in which we explored this sibling experience from the perspective of those who chose to enter the field of special education. The current study involved interviews with 7 individuals who have chosen special education as a career in order to understand what may have contributed to this decision as well as how their experiences growing up with a brother or sister who has a disability influenced their work and their views of special education.