I have a lot of brothers and sisters; most of them happen to have disabillities in one way or another.

Some of the disabilities my brothers and sisters have include cerebral palsy of varying degrees, arthritis, Down's syndrome, muscular dystrophy, vision or hearing impairments, spina bifida, paralysis due to accidents or strokes, missing limbs from birth or amputation, or learning difficulties. Their disabilities range from the barely noticeable (or hidden) to the severe and very obvious.

Most of the time, kids ask me what is wrong with a particular member of the family. I really don't mind them asking; it's just that sometimes they ask too many times, and I am tired of repeating myself or having to explain myself.

Sometimes kids think that because my brother or sister is disabled, then I am too, and I am NOT disabled AT all. In fact, I am perfectly healthy; always have been. That really bugs me.

Because of my disabled brother or sister, I have had to grow up faster than a lot of kids, and I have had to act as a babysitter to some of them, even though they are at the age where they should be capable of taking care of themselves--like Jodie, for instance. 

Jodie is fourteen, but she is more like a baby. She can't feed or dress herself, and she is dependent on one of us for her daily care. She is NOT toilet-trained, and she is so retarded she isn't aware of just how serious her disability really is. She just knows how she is feeling or how to give love back to us, as well as say some words; but other than that, she is totally vulnerable to stares or comments from strangers (or even people we know).

That is probably the worst part of having a sister like Jodie.

~Steffi (Stephanie) Louise Sandusky, aged 17 1/2, Nashville, Tennessee.

I have two sisters (Yacinthe and Gabriella) who are disabled. Yacinthe has Down's syndrome (she is mentally retarded) and behvioral problems. She sometimes has to go to the mental hospital to get herself straightened out, and it always scares me when she acts all crazy. I also have a little sister who was born with something called Cri-du-chat syndrome, which has caused problems with her heart and her ability to learn. She has a lot of physical and mental problems, and she requires a lot of care from us.

Sometimes I have had to watch over Yacinthe and Gabriella, and it is hard because they sometimes don't understand when they misbehave. It's like you want to punish them, but you can't because you know that they are incapable of figuring right from wrong.

It's really a pain.

~Tanzania Grace Goertje, aged 10 1/2, New York City, New York.

Hi. My name is Adam King. I  am 15 years old, and I live in Sitka, Alaska. I have a sister (Leena) who was born with a twisted spine (she uses a wheelchair most of the time; sometimes she will use a walker for short trips), four sisters (Kai, Sikik, Tori, and Naiomi) and three brothers (Igri, Aqsuk, and Sitka) who have Down's syndreme (they are all mentally disabled), a brother (Tyorek) who has muscular dystrophy, and a sister (Piper) who has arthritis.

I am considered to be disabled myself. I was born a little person. That is, suffice to say, I am a "dwarf". At fifteen, I am only 3 1/2 feet tall. I will always BE little, but it's something I have had to live with all my life; I am pretty used to it by now. I have found a way to do things, and nothing has really stopped me from accomplishing what I want to do in life.

People ask me all the time about my brothers and sisters. I sometimes get annoyed, but I really don't mind their asking: it's because they are only curious, and they just don't know any better at times. Pure and simple.

~Adam King, aged 15, Sitka, Alaska.

I have brothers and sisters who are disabled. Some of the kids are in wheelchairs because of cerebral palsy or spina bifida (or they use crutches for walking), some of the kids have asthma or allergies, some of the kids are deaf and use sign language for communication purposes, some are blind, and some are slow in their mental state.

They are really no problem to me, but at times I feel that mom and pop don't pay enough attention to the rest of us because of the ones who are disabled; and it makes me sad. I know they can't help themselves, but I DO get jealous at times. I wish mom and pop could pay more attention to the rest of us!

I also don't like the stares or the comments. If I could, I would like to take all the disabilities in the world away. That way, my brothers and sisters could do more things with other children, and there would be no more sickness or worry on our parents (or on US).

~Melynda Sue Mulligan, aged 16, Nashville, Tennessee.

What I don't like about this question is constantly having to explain myself or why my brothers and sisters are the way they are. Can't people just learn to OVERLOOK their disabilities and see them as the kids they REALLY are? I am tired of having to explain myself over and over! Case closed!

~Sapphire Ronee' Pearson, aged 16, Fort Worth, Texas.

Unlike my sister Meli, I don't mind responding to people when they ask why a particular member of my family is disabled. They are only curious, and besides, my attitude is this: how are they going to learn something about my [disabled] brother or sister if they don't ask? It's plain silly NOT to ask!

In fact, I am rather proud of the accomplishments of my brothers and sisters. A lot of them have outlived the odds placed upon them by doctors (or by society), and they are all good kids, inside AND outside.

I for one, have twin sisters, one of which is disabled (Ronee'); but she is living with another family, and she has turned out alright. She is a singer, and she lives life to the fullest. There isn't nothing disabled about HER "can-do" spirit, and she has a very good head on her shoulders! I see her every day (she lives across the street from me and her twin, Robyn), and we are still very close now, even though we are living with two different families!

~Lu-Anne Kay Reaux-Mulligan, aged 19, Nashville, Tennessee.