'Life Goes On' Actor Recounts Support of Siblings

[Zoneboy]

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Chris Burke feels fortunate that while growing up, his family, including his three siblings, included him in every facet of their lives.

Burke, 44, an actor with Down syndrome who is perhaps best known for his role as Charles "Corky" Thatcher on the ABC television series "Life Goes On," spoke to more than 100 people gathered at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich Saturday for the 2010 International Sibling Conference.

The conference, held for the first time, brought together the siblings of people with disabilities for panel discussions and breakout sessions about issues facing families who have loved ones with special needs.

During his lunchtime address in the hotel's ballroom, Burke said his two sisters, Ellen and Anne, and brother J.R., introduced him to their friends and often included him in activities.

Burke recounted how, despite his disability, he went on to achieve his dreams of being an actor, and also helping children who face similar challenges. He currently sings in a folk band with friends Joe and John DeMasi, and is an ambassador with the National Down Syndrome Society.

"When I was born, the doctors told my parents all the things I would never do," Burke said. "They, and my brother and sisters, tried even harder, and they passed that message on to me."

The three-day conference was presented by Stamford-based ARI of Connecticut, the Kennedy Center of Trumbull and the Sibling Leadership Network, a national organization based in Chicago.

The event was a unique opportunity for siblings of people with special needs to come together and get much-needed information and support, said Robert DiDomenico, manager of quality assurance and compliance at ARI, and the conference coordinator.

There were sessions that focused on planning for the future, when parents get older and the siblings of children with special needs might have to take on more responsibility, and on how people who have siblings with disabilities manage their personal relationships, and decisions to start their own families.

DiDomenico said one of the goals of the conference is to help people locate the services and resources they need to help siblings with disabilities.

In some cases, even grandchildren take on support roles.

"There's a lot more that has to be done," DiDomenico said. "It's generation after generation. That's why the conference is just the beginning and there are thousands of people who have needs."

On Saturday evening, Cheryl Wills -- a longtime anchor at NY1 News in New York City, whose brother, Clarence, has autism -- delivered the keynote address.

DiDomenico said one of the most important parts of the conference was the opportunity for siblings to come together and share their experiences.

Connie Murray, a New York City resident whose older brother, Christopher, has autism and lives independently in a community in New Haven, said the conference was an opportunity to meet people dealing with similar issues.

"It's really about being with people who know," Murray said.

Some of the issues include setting up special needs trusts for people with mental and physical disabilities.

Murray also participates in a support group for adults who have siblings with disabilities through AHRC in New York City.

"Siblings do feel isolated," Murray said. "They feel alone. So it's really great to come together ... to feel recognized as a valid community."

[catlover79]

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