Session 301

Instructional Level: Intermediate

The sibling relationship is the longest lasting family tie (Marshall & Winokeur, 2017), and there is a substantial IDD literature on siblings (Burbridge & Mines, 2014; Coyle et al., 2014; Davys et al., 2016). Yet, little attention has been given to siblings when a death is experienced. Siblings have been called the forgotten grievers who are often excluded from the grief literature (Funk et al., 2018). This qualitative study interviewed 45 adults who lost their brother or sister with a disability to death. The presentation will focus on themes related to caregiving, grief, coping, and informal and formal support.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss the unique challenges that siblings of people with severe disabilities face around grief.
2. Understand the implications of loss for people who have been caregivers for their brother or sister with a disability.
3. Be introduced to some best practices for helping siblings navigate loss.