Jane Austen & her mother Cassandra have something in common that no one knows.
They both had a learning disabled brother, fostered by a local family. 
George died aged 72 - exceeding the life expectancy for learning disabled men in the U.K. today by ten years.

He survived his sister Jane by 31 years.

Jane’s uncle Thomas & brother George were not sent to an “asylum” as was the custom but cared for by a local family. 

Many family carers like us do the same today. 

Little is known or spoken of George, in fact some organisations shamefully  neglect to mention him at all.

Jane spent some years of her childhood with her brother, learning sign language to communicate with him. 

In the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth isn’t it past time to mention all her siblings. 

The Austen family weren’t unkind to George, why are we?