A
Me and my Brother
About love, responsibility, and being a relative
Name
Nanna Marie Klich Krarup
Education degree
Kandidat
Fagfelt
Design
Institute
Design and Visual Interaction
Program
Graphic Communication Design
Year
2025
About the project
My project is an illustrated book that conveys the feelings of being a sibling to a person with a disability. It stems from a personal experience and creates a space for recognition, where love, responsibility, and vulnerability meet. It gives voice to siblings’ often overlooked perspective and aims to show that you are not alone, and that it’s okay to talk about what’s difficult.
People with Disabilities in Denmark
There is no official registry in Denmark documenting how many people live with a disability. Studies estimating the number of people with disabilities use different methods and vary in which types of disabilities they include. However, larger studies indicate that around 30% of Danes aged 16 - 64 report living with a disability. This number does not include children and the elderly (Danske Handicaporganisationer, 2025).
According to VIVE’s report People with Disabilities – Everyday Life and Living Conditions, 120,164 Danes have a significant mental disability, while 313,155 have a significant physical disability (Danske Handicaporganisationer, 2025).
Being a relative
Since there are no official records of how many people live with a disability in Denmark, there is likewise no official data on the number of relatives affected. However, it is clear that disability impacts not only the person with a disability, but also those closest to them. Parents, partners, siblings, and children may face emotional and practical challenges in everyday life that often are different from those in families without disabilities.
Disabilities present themselves in many forms and to different degrees, making each family’s experience unique. For some, the impact may be barely noticeable, while for others, it becomes a central part of daily life.
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"However, larger studies indicate that around 30% of Danes aged 16 - 64 report living with a disability."
From my report
Titel?
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"Since there are no official records of how many people live with a disability in Denmark, there is likewise no official data on the number of relatives affected. However, it is clear that disability impacts not only the person with a disability, but also those closest to them."
From my report
Being a Sibling of a Person with a Disability
Siblings of people with disabilities are born into a life situation they did not choose themselves. The experience is individual and may change over time, but it often involves both meaningful and challenging aspects.
Several studies suggest that these siblings develop strong social and emotional skills such as empathy, patience, and an appreciation of differences (Petersen, 2017). At the same time, the report Children with Disabilities and Their Families from SFI, The Danish National Centre for Social Research, highlights that research primarily focuses on the child with a disability and the parents, while the sibling’s perspective is more rarely explored. The report also mentions challenges such as an increased risk of emotional distress, anxiety, jealousy, and unequal treatment.
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The Royal Danish Academy supports the Sustainable Development Goals
Since 2017 the Royal Danish Academy has worked with the Sustainable Development Goals. This is reflected in our research, our teaching and in our students’ projects. This project relates to the following UN goal(-s)
