ARCH Disability Law Centre maintains a page summarizing all COVID-related information relevant to people with developmental disabilities.
Vaccination Appointments
- apparently you can text your postal code to 1=833-356-1683 to get a list of vaccination sites near you
- Vaccine Hunters Canada is a very successful grassroots group that helps people find vaccination clinics near them (my daughter got her vaccine that way), follow them on Twitter for real-time notifications
Emotional Wellbeing/Mental Health
- BounceBack Ontario is "is a free, guided self-help program that’s effective in helping people aged 15 and up who are experiencing mild-to-moderate anxiety or depression, or may be feeling low, stressed, worried, irritable or angry." The intro says you need a primary physician referral for some services or may need to self-refer. It offers coaching via phone but also has a series of videos. The site lets you look at resources on a one-time basis to see if they are of use to you.
- Integrated Autism Consulting has pointers to an Emotional Toolbox, an article about Self Regulation during COVID-19, and is offering their programming online: contact them for details
- the Planning Network has a set of tip sheets for "managing the next wave"
Financial
- walk-through of process for applying for CERB
- Financial Relief Navigator provides centralized access to financial aids available during COVID-19
- May 5 there was an announcement of a planned one-time payment of up to $600 for people with a Disability Tax Credit certificate
- submitting COVID-related expenses to My Direct Plan: use the "Other" category and enter "COVID-19 Purchase" in the Service Providers field
- DSO has produced a video that purports to explain the temporary wage increase for support workers
Wellness and Health
- Developmental Services Ontario can help with accessing vaccine clinics - contact covid@surreyplace.ca or call 416.925.5141 x 4444 and leave a detailed message
- for information on vaccine availability and clinics, see this resource
- for current (as of May 2021) information about cloth masks, see this resource
- to access the "Getting Ready for My Shot" resources, see these resources from Surrey Place
- here's a useful social story for use when preparing to receive the vaccine
- here's a Facebook video about preparing to receive the vaccine
- this article addresses mask wearing research
- this site includes a Family Matters Toolkit for caregivers to use to support their loved one's health and wellbeing
- Surrey Place's About My Health site has a variety of text and video resources to support adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities
- Surrey Place also has some specific COVID-19 resources and tools
- HCAARD has a video on YouTube about virtual doctor's visits
- the provincial government's Health Care Options website offers information about health care services available near you
- the federal government's Wellness Together website says it provides immediate access to phone support for those struggling with stress during COVID; including resources like a "five minute assessment", self-guided courses and apps, and more - you can also create an account to keep track of the resources you have accessed
Other Resources
- HCARDD has a set of booklets, including "easy read" versions, on a variety of COVID-related topics
- the Planning Network has developed a regularly updated COVID-19 resource kit and resources to help people stay connected
- Sick Kids has put together a good article about supporting children with developmental disabilities during COVID 19
- CAMH has produced a list of COVID-19 self-help booklets
- The Growing Space (an Australian disability organization) has a variety of resources for individuals - although some of these are specific to Australian funding and services, others are more generally applicable
- Partners for Planning has a list of self-care resources for "managing the next wave"
- some guidance (circa Feb 2021) about masks
- Families for a Secure Future publishes a helpful newsletter with lots of good resources in it - to subscribe, see their website
Hotlines for caregivers
- Family Services Toronto is offering virtual counselling sessions, between 9 and 6 on weekdays: call 416-595-9618 to book a one-time session of up to 50 minutes with a counsellor
- JVS is hosting a "Parent Talk" hotline for caregivers of people with disabilities of all ages, call 416-649-1808
- Geneva Centre is offering free remote parent groups for parents who are registered with Geneva Centre (contact intake@autism.net to see if you can register)
- here's a blog posting about accommodations for people with disabilities during a pandemic
- Extend-a-Family's parent support group has moved online, contact kc@extendafamily.ca for details
- the Income Security Advocacy Group has use resources about potential income supports on their website
- strategies for supporting individuals with ASD through uncertain times resources
- here's a useful summary of financial resources that you may be eligible for
- this article deals specifically with supporting children with ASD and has links to other resources
- Partners for Planning is offering free check-in calls with a facilitator who may be able to offer support and suggestions for resources
- Advocacy Toolkit for Supports During Hospitalization, from ARCH Disability Law Centre
- Autism Ontario has its own list of resources
- Although much of their information is, quite appropriately, related to Australia, this site has some useful resources
Other lists of resources
Several organizations have compiled their own list of resources, which may or may not be covered in the lists above.
- from Community Living Ontario
- from Autism Ontario
- from Connectability
- from Holland Bloorview
- from Reena
- and here's another list of resources: caregiver tools, mental health, mindfullness and meditation, education, things to do, exercise, live and virtual events, financial assistance, food resources and tools
- and one more list-of-potentially-useful-links for people stuck at home
last updated May 9, 2021
