Disability by association for siblings of adolescents and adults with cognitive disability

This paper analyses the impact of disability on the social identities of siblings of young people and adults with cognitive disabilities. The main aim is to empirically support the concept of ‘disability by association’, which refers to the attribution of an associative identity due to the presence of a disabled member in the family. Evidence is drawn from a qualitative study, made up of 32 in-depth interviews and two focus groups with siblings without disabilities. The results confirmed the impact of interactive effects on the lives and behaviours of the interviewees. The internalisation of the oppression experienced by siblings, even in the absence of actual negative incidents, limits their social life experience and identity construction. Although the siblings develop non-medical representations of disability and impairment, this conceptual repertoire is not strong enough to challenge devalued images of cognitive disability.