Growing up with a sibling who has a disability can be hard and complicated. Its distinctiveness is unclear until you are exposed to other family environments. You don’t realise how unique your experiences are until you have another canvas to compare yours to. This can be especially difficult at an age where you are finding, defining and creating your place in the world, or even when you’re just trying to figure it all out.

My brother has an intellectual disability. People with an intellectual disability may have difficulty communicating, learning, and retaining information. This makes me a sibling of someone who has a disability. About 3% of Australians have an intellectual disability, making it the most common primary disability (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare).

The conversation about siblings of children who have disabilities is often quiet, if not muted…