Siblings Perspective - Meet Tyler Ashby & His Brother, Caleb

By: Erin Baoz

Tyler Ashby, 16, is excited at this opportunity to share what it’s like to have a sibling with special needs. Tyler is a sophomore at Noblesville High School. His brother, Caleb, is 12 years old and attends Noblesville West Middle School. Caleb was born with a genetic disorder, Down Syndrome, which is caused by abnormal cell division that results in an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21. The extra material is what brings about the developmental and physical features of Down Syndrome.

Tyler shares that being a sibling to a person with special needs has made him more kind to others regardless of who they are. Every day Tyler sees people who decide to disrespect other people for the simple reason that they are different than them. When he witnesses how it affects the families and people with disabilities, it has taught him the importance of kindness.

As Tyler reflects on how Caleb has motivated him, he can honestly say that he is inspired to try and make the world a better place. If it weren’t for Caleb, I wouldn’t see the injustice in the world around him. It really upsets me that in 2020 we are dealing with the issue of equality. So Tyler wakes up every day with the intention of doing everything possible to try and make the world a better place for his brother and others with disabilities.

One of Tyler’s all-time favorite memories with Caleb is the first time they went to Disney World. The entire day the family was on an adventure of rides, meeting characters, and eating food. At first, Caleb was a little shy, hiding behind our dad and not wanting to greet or meet any of the characters, but over time he eventually opened up, started to talk to them and enjoyed himself. One hobby that Caleb enjoys is listening to music and singing it at the top of his lungs. Every time we are in the car he gives us our own little concert. Caleb and Tyler really enjoy wrestling with each other. At least once a day it seems like one of us is provoking the other in order to start a wrestling match, and most of the time it works.

In addition, Tyler was pleasantly surprised to see how well the Disney characters treated Caleb when he was shy.

Tyler shares that one big challenge with having a sibling with special needs is observing how people living their normal dayto-day lives do not appear to care or give much attention to those with obstacles. One way that Tyler has overcome this is by realizing that it is not that people don’t care … it’s that they don’t know. Tyler takes it upon himself to best educate others on the issues that special needs kids face on a daily basis.

A piece of advice that Tyler would like to offer for anyone that has a sibling with special needs is, when you see injustice, whether that be someone saying the r-word, making fun of someone with a disability or noticing someone with special needs is being excluded, do not respond with hate. Instead, respectfully tell them how their words or actions can be hurtful. People are more likely to respect your concern if you come from a place of love, not hate.

Do you have a sibling with special needs and would like to share your story & perspective in an upcoming issue of Special Needs Living? Email us at SpecialNeedsLivingIndy@n2pub.com.

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