2021 SLN Conference: Day 1

2021 SLN Conference Logo

Day 1 SLN Conference

Friday, June 18 – $25

(Join BOTH Day 1 & 2 Day SLN Conference (June 18 & 19) and receive a $10 DISCOUNT: $45)


3pm PT/4pm MT/5pm CT/6pm ET

Day 1 Conference Welcome

        • Kelsey Sullivan, Chair, SLN

The Sibling Movement 

Learn about the history of the Sibling Movement and how it has brought together siblings for peer support and advocacy opportunities as well.  Find out current ways to get involved and become a change agent.

        • Katie Arnold, Executive Director, SLN

3:30pm PT/4:30pm MT/5:30pm CT/6:30pm ET

Sibling Happy Hour 

A conference kick-off with a social twist!  All attendees are encouraged to join us for a fun, interactive session where everyone will have opportunities to talk about their siblings and themselves.  We will talk, listen and get to know each other while enjoying a favorite beverage.  This will be a lighthearted way to start to make connections with kindred sib spirits and explore the diversity, creativity, humor, and strength of our amazing sibling community.

        • Don Meyer, Creator of Sibshops and Founder of the Sibling Support Project  
        • Emily Holl, Director, Sibling Support Project

5:00pm PT/6:00pm MT/7:00pm CT/8:00pm ET

Breakout Session Presentations (Choose 1 of the 4 sessions below on the day of the Conference)

Session 1: Self-Care for Siblings

“Self-Care for Siblings” will look beyond bubble baths and face masks to examine what it really means to care for ourselves as siblings and caregivers. We will discuss the challenges we face, how to prevent and handle burnout, and what it means to show up fully for ourselves as much as others. Please note this session is presented by a passionate sibling but not a mental health professional.

        • Kaley Day, Advocate for Adults with AdvocacyDenver and Board president of Rocky Mountain Sibs

Session 2: Where the Journey Leads: A conversation with “Silver Sibs”

Baby Boomers are living longer, are healthier, earning more and working longer than any generation before them. For Baby Boomers who happen to have a sibling with a developmental disability (Silver Sibs), their siblings are also living much longer than in previous generations. For Silver Sibs caring for their disabled sibling, they are a generation potentially facing the unprecedented challenges of caring for their children, their parents and their sibling who has a disability. The confluence of these life events can be as overwhelming as it sounds. How Silver Sibs cope or succeed depends a great deal on how prepared they were for the caregiver role, their personal health, financial circumstances, cultural status, and whether the needed supports are in place (or attainable). And while these factors are weighty in their own right, the relationship a Silver Sib has with their sibling who has a developmental disability matters as well. In my personal experience, success in this role also depends on your ability to laugh out loud! We invite you to join a panel of Silver Siblings as they share how their caregiving journey began, it’s joys, lessons, challenges, and reflect how systems can adjust to better support them. We hope this conversation will also provide information for younger siblings as they consider their lives as “Silver Sibs.”

        • Lynne Calloway, Silver Sib 
        • Panelists: Barbara Corley, Debbie Kunick & Bruce Handler

Session 3: Special Needs Legal and Future Planning from a Siblings Perspective

Special needs legal and future planning is often considered something only parents worry about, but it is the siblings who have to actually carry out the plans the parents make (or in many cases don’t make).  We will be discussing these topics.

        • Benjamin Rubin, JD LLM (Taxation), President of Supporting Illinois Brothers and Sisters

Session 4: Supporting Families to Navigate the I/DD System  

How do I navigate the complicated system of intellectual and developmental disability (I/DD) supports?  Come learn strategies to help understand how to get the supports you want and need for your loved one with disabilities and ways to build an inclusive community that supports the whole family.

        • Richard Mullen, African American Family Support Coordinator, The Arc of King County

5:45pm PT/6:45pm MT/7:45pm CT/8:45pm ET

Mindfulness Techniques to Enhance Well-being

Learn and practice various mindfulness skills, which can help you become more aware of what is going on in the present moment and observe your thoughts and feelings in a nonjudgmental manner. Mindfulness-based techniques have been shown to improve memory, attention, and concentration while promoting overall health and well-being in persons with and without disabilities. This session will provide attendees with an overview of mindfulness-based techniques and how to practice mindfulness yourself and share with others such as your siblings and family members.

        • Mark Dixon, PhD, BCBA-D, Faculty director of the Cognition, Behavior, and Mindfulness Clinic (CBM Clinic) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
        • Jessica Hinman, M.S., BCBA, Graduate student at CBM Clinic at UIC
        • Zhihui Yi, M.S., BCBA. Graduate student at CBM Clinic at UIC

6:30pm PT/7:30pm MT/8:30pm CT/9:30pm ET:

Day 1 of the Conference Concludes