Start: Thu 30 Jul, 2026 09:00 End: Tue 15 Dec, 2026 17:00
Location: Online, on-demand access - watch anytime!
Presented by: Rhiannon Brodie, Heidi Coleman, Josey McMahon, Sherryn West
Workshop replay and peer conversations for siblings of people with disability
Siblings share a bond that starts at birth and lasts a lifetime. They’ve grown up together, sharing stories, laughter, arguments, and memories.
As life changes, the way siblings support and connect with each other can change. Some become more involved, others stay connected, and some disconnect, not always intentionally. Every family is unique, but there are common threads: Even if it isn’t always spoken about, as parents age, siblings nearly always think about what the future might hold.
Late last year, we began a workshop series, Siblings in the wild: Navigating life, families, and the NDIS, for siblings of people with disability.
Over three sessions, Rhiannon Brodie, Heidi Coleman, Josey McMahon and Sherryn West shared their experiences as sisters to siblings with disability. They discussed:
- maintaining your identity as a sibling (not a parent or carer)
- building sustainable support networks and Circles of Support
- navigating NDIS, medical systems, and other administrative challenges
- staying connected across distance and life stages
- supporting decision-making while respecting autonomy
- using Social Role Valorisation (SRV) principles to create valued roles
- balancing your own life while being an active, supportive sibling.
The workshop was insightful for the siblings who attended and will be just as relevant to parents, extended family members, friends, or supporters of a person with disability. By listening to these presentations, you’ll:
- get an insight into the unique relationship of siblings
- recognise how valuable it is to nurture and protect the sibling relationship
- understand what siblings might wonder and worry about as all family members age
- see opportunities to nurture relationships within your family and broader networks while building effective lifelong safeguards for your family member with disability.
Register for this free on-demand workshop replay
What’s included in this workshop replay
- On-demand recordings of the three workshop sessions
- Various resources mentioned in the workshops
- Bonus videos: Past presentations delivered by siblings of people with disability, including
- Passing on the “How” by Rebecca Altaffer, recorded at our Safeguarding the future conference in 2024
- Succession – My family’s story: Who’s next? by Sherryn West
- The secrets of fabulous self-direction by Margaret Ward, also recorded at our Safeguarding the future conference
- Never too late to get a life by Josey McMahon; another presentation from the Safeguarding the future conference
Good to know
- This replay is available until 5:00 pm on Tuesday, 15 December
- Funding from the NDIS through a Peer Support and Capacity Building grant covers all the costs associated with delivering this event, allowing you to attend free of charge.
Meet the Speakers
Rhiannon Brodie
Rhiannon Brodie grew up in a family of six, including her sister Emma, who has an intellectual disability. Growing up close to Emma shaped how Rhiannon sees her role as both a sister and a natural advocate, ensuring Emma has the same opportunities in life as her brothers and herself.
She is passionate about making sure families, including siblings, have the right tools, resources, and support to plan for the future of their loved ones. Outside of work, Rhiannon and Emma share a love of animals, travelling, theatre, music and dancing, cooking, and spending time in nature.
Heidi Coleman
Heidi Coleman grew up the oldest of four siblings, including her youngest brother Jack, who has an intellectual disability. Growing up with Jack and her sisters meant plenty of sporting rivalries, family dinners, travel, and new experiences. These moments shaped how Heidi sees her role as both a sister and a natural advocate—supporting Jack and her siblings to have the same opportunities in life as each other.
She is passionate about making sure siblings and families have the right support to create meaningful and valued lives for their loved ones. After seven years living interstate, Heidi has recently moved back to the ACT and is enjoying spending time with her brother, reigniting that sibling rivalry in sport from when they were young.
Josey McMahon
Josey McMahon’s own experience of living with a disability and having a twin sister with disability has given her a passion for the rights of all those who are disadvantaged. Throughout her life, she has had the opportunity to be a wife, a mother of four, a stepmother of two, and a grandmother to 9.
Josey is a social worker who has worked in various government departments in the 70s and 90s. She also gained much experience working in non-government organisations providing counselling to women from disadvantaged backgrounds, including victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. Since the 90s, Josey has been a board member of various organisations that provide advocacy and capacity-building for people with disability and their families.
Josey was the Manager of Gold Coast Advocacy (GCA) and the manager of the Community Enablers project. Josey is the proud owner of Lifesteps Australia, a small business that provides support coordination and advocacy. Josey also works as an independent consultant, helping people build great lives through planning.
Sherryn West
Sherryn is the sister of Marisha, a person with disability who is living her best life in a home of her own.
With over 20 years’ experience in the not-for-profit sector as business manager and, more recently, the Founder and CEO of a medium-sized NDIS plan management business, Sherryn brings a unique and deeply personal perspective as a sibling who has navigated the loss of a parent and the realities of stepping into advocacy and decision-making responsibilities. Her journey includes navigating the NDIS and QCAT systems while trying to balance what so many siblings wrestle with—being “just a sister” while also being the person who can step up when needed.
Through her speaking, Sherryn offers practical guardrails and reassurance for other siblings and families: how to navigate changing roles, stay connected to what matters, and help ensure their brother or sister has a good life – on their own terms.
