S.I.B.S NETWORK - Key Persons
Benji is a Special Needs Planning Attorney and Partner at Rubin Law with offices in Buffalo Grove, Chicago, and Old Orchard. Benji's older brother Mitchell has Autism and lives in a Clearbrook CILA. Benji graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law, Magna Cum Laude, received his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, and currently is pursuing his Graduate Law Degree, an LLM (Tax), at Northwestern University. Benji is a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners, a member of the Special Needs Alliance, is Vice Chairman of the American Bar Association Special Needs Planning Committee, serves as the President of SIBS (Supporting Illinois Brothers and Sisters), the Illinois chapter of the national Sibling Leadership Network, is a member of the Board of Directors of The Arc of Illinois, serves on the Board of Directors of DayOne Pact, the Independent Service Coordination Agent for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities living in DuPage, Kane and Kendall Counties Illinois, as well as serves as Trustee of Special Needs Trusts, and serves as Guardian, is a member of the Clearbrook Associate Board, serves on the Advisory Council of Encompass (Encompass in partnership with Jewish Child & Family Services, Jewish United Fund, JVS Chicago, JCC Chicago, Keshet, and The Center for Enriched Living and Center for Independent Futures, seeks to provide adults with I/DD a full array of financially sustainable, community-based services and supports), and is a member of the Board of Directors of the SEDOL (Special Education District of Lake County) Foundation. Benji is also a Faculty Member for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE). Having Mitchell as a brother profoundly shaped who Benji is today, and thus the type of law he chose to practice. His personal experiences as a sibling offer a unique perspective into the responsibilities that come with caring for a sibling with disabilities. Now, as an adult, those sometimes present and future responsibilities he will have regarding his brother's care are a concern that he shares with all brothers and sisters of individuals with disabilities.
Chelsey Parrott-Sheffer has an older sister with developmental disability who has lived in a CILA for more than 20 years. Her volunteer work on behalf of people with disabilities has included providing pro bono assistance to Equip for Equality, co-chairing the L'Arche Chicago junior board, and serving as a mentor in the Sib2Sib mentoring program. She works in human resources for a law firm and is a certified executive coach. She lives in Chicago with her husband and two sons.
Christine Becker, MA., LPC, has a master's degree in Counseling Psychology and has worked as a Transition Counselor for over 15 years. She enjoys speaking about her experiences growing up with her older sister who has developmental disability. Christine has presented at several area conferences about the importance of support for siblings. She has also taught college and graduate level courses, and lectured on a variety of topics related to transition, the culture of disability, adult services, self-determination, person-centered planning and self-directed IEPs. Christine is dedicated to counseling families about long term planning and connecting them to services once their child ages out of the special education system. Christine joined the SIBS board because she enjoys connecting and collaborating with other siblings who share a similar experience.
Job Titles:
- Research Specialist at the University of Illinois
Kaitlin Stober is a research specialist at the University of Illinois at Chicago's institute on disability and human development. There, she supports the creation and implementation of disability-related research and evaluation projects. She earned her M.Sc. in Disability Studies from Trinity College Dublin in 2017 upon completion of her dissertation on the experiences of professional performing and visual artists with intellectual disabilities (ID). Kaitlin also worked as a summer research assistant for the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities in Geneva to support the development of their report on legal capacity and supported decision-making for the 37th Human Rights Council session.
Kaitlin's professional interest in disability and disability rights is influenced by her personal experiences and relationship with her younger brother who has Down syndrome. She is passionate about the celebration of disability as a valuable facet of diversity in our communities.
Katherine Hamann grew up not knowing one of her sibs. Margaret Doering had lived in state institutions since she was two years old. Their unfolding story made Katherine an advocate for people with I/DD and their families. Margaret has lived successfully in a CILA for over 9 years. Katherine has worked for most of that time for The Arc of Illinois, directing their Family Transition Project.
Lea Whitney, MA is the caregiver and legal co-guardian to her younger sister, Rhiannon, who has Down syndrome. Throughout her career, Lea has pursued work in the developmental disabilities field. She has a master's degree in Journalism from Columbia College Chicago, with specializations in website design, content management, and HTML.
Mark has a brother who is dually-diagnosed with an intellectual disability. He is passionate about helping others understand the challenges faced not only in advocating for their siblings, but also finding the resources and tools to help brothers and sisters become educated in the resources available to help them and their families thrive.
Nora Fox Handler is a committed sister to her three brothers with intellectual disabilities. She is a passionate advocate for people with disabilities and their families and shares her family's experience in the published work, Thicker than Water: Essays by Adult Siblings of People with Disabilities.
Shirley Jimenez is inspired by her younger sister with Down syndrome. This led to her being passionate about helping people with disabilities. She has done numerous volunteering activities throughout her life for children with disabilities, including teaching children in Africa. Shirley's passion led to her studying and graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor's in Special Education. She is also currently pursuing her Master's degree in Special Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Shirley is now a special education teacher in Chicago Public Schools teaching kindergarten to second graders with low incidence disabilities. Shirley is looking forward to being an advocate for families and being a proud member of SIBS.
Sunita has a younger brother, Shankar, who has physical and intellectual disabilities. She is a registered nurse and additionally holds an MBA. Her work as an RN has broadened her desire to help people. Professionally, she has worked to support workforce diversification by implementing Project Search in the areas she supervises. In addition, she has provided guidance and expertise to a variety of research studies and projects related to disability. She has a wide spectrum of personal interests as a community activist, lover of Indian classical dance and music as well as women's mental well-being.
Growing up in a smaller town with immigrant parents and a brother with a disability impacted Sunita deeply. Her parents' struggle along with her experiences has shaped who she is today. Her journey after the loss of her mother led her to SIBS. Discovering this community has deepened her understanding and filled a void for which she is deeply grateful.
Sunita lives in Naperville with her husband, three children, brother, and elderly father.
Tara Conley has been working in the field of ID/DD for more than 25 years. She started as a support worker, QIDP, and has been an Independent Service Coordinator. Through her work as a QIDP and Independent Service Coordinator, she helped people with disabilities and their families understand and navigate the state and national service system. Tara's realization of the need for support of siblings came when she met other siblings, like herself, while doing support work. Tara is a certified Sibshop facilitator who has mentored other Sibshop facilitators to start their own programs in Illinois. Tara is the visionary and original co-founder of Supporting Illinois Brothers and Sisters (SIBS), and was involved in the inception of the Sibling Leadership Network (SLN) also founded in the same year. Tara has served on the Arc of IL Board, the UIC consumer advisory/LEND committee, the Sibling Support Project's Advisory Committee, and has served as the S.I.B.S.'s President and Vice President on the board of S.I.B.S. Tara received the Arc of IL Outstanding Family Advocate Award in 2005, not only for her advocacy with her brother but also for the development of sibling support in IL. Her most recent endeavor includes acting as the independent consultant for the SIBS Sibling Support Project in partnership with the SLN with an investment of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities. Tara has shared her sibling experience in the book Thicker than Water: Essays by Adult Siblings of People with Disabilities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Speech - Language Pathologist
Theresa is a speech-language pathologist who considers herself a disability advocate and ally, inspired by her younger sister with Down syndrome. Theresa earned her B.S. in Speech and Hearing Science and M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.