Brothers and sisters gathered at AHRC NYC Headquarters on National Siblings Day to connect with one another, to express their thoughts about their shared life experiences and learn more about the breadth of services offered to our families.
Sibling Stories
Siblings Charles Ackerman and Chanelle Williams are navigating the ups and downs of approaching middle age together.
Chanelle said, “Charles is a good guy. He wants to live independently, which I understand. He wants to do more in the community with his day program and find steady work. He has big dreams—he wants to go to the Dominican Republic! He’s got a passport. Whatever the world brings, he wants to do it.”
15-year-old Lila’s family hails from Slovakia. Her older brother has autism, for whom her family was interested in learning more about AHRC NYC offerings for adults.
“I would do anything for my brother. He is a part of me, and I love him so much,” Lila said. “The representation of an older sibling/younger sibling dynamic is different in the media than when you have a sibling on the spectrum,” Lila said. “When I tell people about our lives they sometimes struggle to understand.”
Similar to the bond of Lila and her brother, sisters Celeste and Carolyn Mitchell remain close after Celeste suffered a traumatic brain injury in May 2020.
“Celeste and I used to travel together a lot, but everything is much more difficult now,” Carolyn said, explaining her sister’s memory challenges. “We never felt she got the help she needed when the injury first happened.”
“We had the best childhood in Manhattan,” Celeste said. “We’re only 11 months apart.” She was an in-home care professional prior to her injury. “I loved taking care of people. I would love to keep doing it, but this happened to me. I’m as happy as I can be, but I miss my patients. Every single one of them.”
How AHRC NYC Helps Siblings
AHRC NYC Siblings Services exists to foster levels of understanding across generations of siblings, from children in our SibShops programs to current AHRC NYC Board Members such as Nancy Petrino.
“The sibling bond is a special relationship and not always an easy one,” Nancy said to the gathered crowd. Nancy’s sister, Patti, lives at Bellerose residence in Queens. “I’ve been called ‘the mean sister’ many times, usually over something like brushing teeth. It’s important to take time for ourselves and recognize the roles that we play in our families’ lives.”
Siblings and their families who attended the events learned about the wide breadth of services available to people with disabilities at AHRC NYC—day programs, camping and recreation, in-home services, state-of-the-art clinical options, residences, guardianship, employment and more.
“Parents started this organization, but I have a feeling that siblings will carry the future for this organization and the rest of our field,” Nancy said. “AHRC NYC has tons of support, and we hope you leave with a little more than came in with today.”
