July 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 49

Lynchburg (Virginia) Parks & Recreation unveils a new Sibshop
program that provides support for siblings of special needs children
By Vitisia Paynich

ebekah Meadows was sorting through her mail one day
when she came across the Lynchburg (Virginia) Parks &
Recreation community resource guide. She flipped through
the publication, scanning the various activities and program
offerings when one listing piqued her interest: Sibshop training.
" It really caught me off guard,
but it was exciting because I'd
been following that particular
group for about 10 years, " says
Meadows, an LPC outpatient
therapist at Impact Living Services. " I've read their books and
just kept up with [Sibshops] on
social media. "
Sarah Viar, a mother of three
and wife of an active duty military
service member, learned about the
facilitator training via social media. She says a friend shared the
Lynchburg Parks & Rec post announcing its Sibshop event. After
clicking the registration link, Viar
signed up herself and her 9-yearold son, Caleb. " I think the timing
was just right, " she admits. " I was
sort of looking for something to be
a part of that I could contribute to
in a positive way. "
Sibshops are recreational
gatherings that offer siblings of

special needs children the opportunity to meet and connect
with other sibs like them. These
events encourage participants to
have fun, laugh, as well as openly discuss the good and not-sogood aspects of having a sibling with special needs. What's
more, Sibshops enable these
typically developing children
to learn firsthand about the services their brothers and sisters
receive while offering a positive
and stress-free experience.
In early March 2019, Lynchburg Parks & Recreation hosted
a two-day Sibshop training for
park and rec staff, healthcare
professionals, parents and community members interested in
becoming certified Sibshop facilitators. Families and typically
developing siblings were invited
to partake in a demonstration on
the second day.

Sibshops' Origins
In the United States, 56.7 million
people have disabilities, while approximately 4.5 million include
people diagnosed with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The Sibshops concept came
about in 1982 when Don Meyer,
then a University of Washington
special education graduate student, and his colleagues began
studying how disability or any
kind of mental health or developmental concerns impact not
only the person with the diagnosis or the caregiver taking that
individual to and from therapy
and doctor appointments, but
also the entire family unit. Meyer established the Sibshop model
because he wanted to create a
support program for school-age
brothers and sisters in a highly
recreational setting with a huge
emphasis on fun.
Meyer's early work led to the
founding of the Sibling Support Project in 1990, a national
program dedicated to brothers
and sisters of individuals with
special needs. Headquartered in

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July 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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