Special Siblings

This campaign is about growing up alongside a sibling with special needs. Through this, we hope to enhance and support the lives of special needs families. Give yourself extra grace, allow yourself to feel your emotions, and see the world through lens of possibility. Remember, every challenge is a disguised opportunity for growth.  

Meet Rachel: 

"My name is Rachel Moon and I am a special sibling. I have a younger brother who is diagnosed with ASD. At a young age, I had to grow up earlier than my peers. I had a baby brother with special needs to take care of. He mumbled later than most babies, he started crawling later than other babies, and he acted differently than my peers’ younger siblings. I always compared my family with others and wondered why I had to be in this situation. It was frustrating and stressful a lot of times because I had no one to turn to. The kids at school would always bully me and my parents were already stressed with providing for my brother. And sometimes, I would feel angry and sometimes resentful. But the moment I realized my brother was more than his label of having ‘’autism’’, I started seeing him in a whole new light. Slowly, the talents he had started being more evident in my eyes. The special gifts and different ways he did things made him unique and special in his own way. He allowed me to see the world in a whole new light." - Rachel Moon

Dear special needs families and siblings who feel alone,

You are not alone. There are times when people stare and there are times when people just don’t understand. There are many times when you feel like the world is against you and no one is for you. But I just want to let you know, there is a whole community rooting for you. There are so many people fighting for inclusion for children with special needs. 

It is true that these children need more attention and aid than other children, but that doesn’t make them hopeless. So do not lose hope! Hope is out there and there is hope for you! The love you pour out to that child will only return back a hundred folds to you. The world sees your efforts, your community sees your efforts, and your child with special needs sees it as well. 

You are not alone. Continue to fight the good fight.

Love, 

Rachel Moon