At first hearing, it sounds like magic. But siblings is really just a neutral English term—one that Italian struggles to match. In our language, we use the masculine form "fratelli" even when we mean a mix of brothers and sisters.
Lately, because of this gender gap, siblings has started appearing in Italian too. Alessia Farinella, a professor of special education at the University of Turin, organizes her brief essay into three main sections, each tracing a different phase of life with a disabled sibling: the early encounter, growing up, and adulthood. Each section opens with brief accounts from different siblings themselves—stories about the difficulty of living with a disabled brother or sister, the unexpected benefits it has brought to their social lives, and the crucial role their parents played.
Farinella then reflects on these testimonies, analyzing the emotional and behavioral dynamics that shape a sibling relationship with disability. She brings out aspects that are genuinely interesting and affirming. It's an excellent framework that honors the sibling bond itself, setting aside the limitations that disability might seem to impose. The writing flows easily, which makes it well worth reading.
Matteo Cinti, 2015