Sibling Resources

The sibling experience is powerful — and sometimes complicated. Families often ask where they can find additional support, advocacy, or community beyond Special Sib. The organizations below are leaders in the sibling movement and provide high-quality resources for children, teens, and adults.

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Community Living Is Under Pressure. Here’s an Easy Way to Speak Up.

If you love someone with a disability, the word “institution” probably lands heavy. A lot of us have spent years fighting for our siblings and kids to live in real homes, in real neighborhoods, with the support they need. So when the legal ground under that starts shifting, it’s normal to feel anxious and unsure what to do.

The Autism Dad has put together a Rapid Response Kit that explains what’s happening in plain language and gives you ready-made scripts to contact your lawmakers.

What’s going on

• In June 2026, the Justice Department issued a legal opinion arguing states aren’t required to serve disabled people in their communities rather than in institutions.
• In July, the Department announced it would no longer rely on its 2011 Olmstead guidance when enforcing the ADA.
• In August, it asked a federal appeals court to undo its own win in a Florida case protecting children with complex medical needs. In September, the court declined for now and sent the case to mediation.
• On September 23, a federal judge struck HHS’s community integration rules from its Section 504 regulations, nationwide. That removed the rule that let families push back before someone was placed in an institution.

What has NOT changed

Olmstead, the 1999 Supreme Court decision, still stands. So do the ADA and Section 504. Your child’s school 504 plan isn’t affected, and no one’s services were stopped by this ruling. What’s changed is how hard advocates now have to fight.

What you can do

A bipartisan group of 100 members of Congress has already asked the Justice Department to withdraw its June opinion. There’s also a bill, the Latonya Reeves Freedom Act (H.R. 9401 / S. 4865), that would write the right to community living into federal law. It needs cosponsors.

The kit gives you a 90-second call script, an email template, and a short message you can text to a friend, for both your members of Congress and your state legislators. You can enter your address to auto-fill your representatives’ names (it isn’t stored), or just fill in the blanks yourself. Add a line about your own family if you can. Staffers remember those.

👉 Take action with the Rapid Response Kit

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Supporting Siblings in 2026: What Parents and Adult Sibs Want You to Know

Parenting a child with disabilities impacts the whole family — including the siblings who often carry more than we realize. Join Cheryl Albright, OTR/L, C-IAYT, and a panel of adult siblings for an honest, compassionate conversation about what helps siblings thrive. We’ll explore what sibling stress can look like, how to support siblings without adding more to your plate, and why having their own space (like Sibshops) makes such a difference. Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, or adult sibling, you’ll leave with practical tools, validation, and community.

Topics include:

✓ What siblings wish parents knew

✓ How to spot hidden stress

✓ Simple connection rituals

✓ Reducing guilt for parents and siblings

✓ Why peer support matters

✓ Q&A with adult sibs

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