on-line programming and resources for adults

Education

• the Community Access Learning Centre is offering fee-for-service online programming 
• Ontario high school courses are available online from TVO for free
• the Scholastic web site has some activities and downloadable pages
• Merriam-Webster dictionary has a bunch of weekly vocabulary-building activities

Entertainment and Arts

• Xenia concerts are now being offered online, and often include a downloadable booklet of background information about the performance
• the Book Depository (a great resource for buying books of all types) is offering "read together" sessions where authors read from their works, viewable on Facebook or YouTube
• Audible has a variety of free audiobooks as does Beyond Words
• the City of Toronto has a list of virtual arts and culture activities and programs
• the Idea Exchange has virtual programs for kids (including family games and trivia) as well as other resources
• Toronto Public Library has a wealth of resources, including audiobooks, ebooks, and videos; including Hoopla, where you can borrow "digital music, video and comics" for free
• Toronto Public Library also free cultural and literary events, such as author readings - check them out here
• for "click and colour" pages, check out https://www.thecolor.com/, https://www.online-coloring.com/, or https://colormandala.com/

Social Programs

• the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre (https://www.mnjcc.org/access) offers a variety of programs (typically for up to age 30) for people with disabilities and their families

Virtual Programs

• There's a calendar of virtual (online) events (province-wide, not all are open for registration, and you can't click on an event to view details about it) as well as a lengthy list of links to other resources available on this page on My Community Hub.
• The monthly TorontoJewish Disability Network newsletter "Stuck at Home" offers links to a variety of services and resources
• check out Meetup for a group with shared interests near you: these have moved online for the interim
• Dream Weavers Collective offers a variety of virtual life and employments skills, as well as gaming programs, online. Excellent, high-quality programming, in my experience. 
• Reena offers a variety of virtual programs
• Springboard's Discovery Club offer a weekly "Socially Undistant" group that involves exercises, games, and social engagement, which runs Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 - 12:15. Register in My Community Hub.
• Reena is offering online painting programs: contact Grace Ceron for details
• there are lots of virtual tours available: see this Ontario list for just a few
• this organization offers online learning for the "learning disabled workforce"

The always-extraodinary Dramaway is moving all their programming online: if anyone can do this successfully, it's this creative crew  

Brighton Launch/Brighton School offers free Friday night social events from 7 - 8:30 for adolescents and young adults.

L'arche's "Try It For Size" program has a variety of virtual programs, including cooking. Register directly with them. Another group that I highly recommend.

Autism Ontario York Region offers free, short (30 - 60 minute) group activities online

Corbrook offers a regular set of workshops on the themes of money management, health and safety, cooking, self-advocacy, arts and creativity, life skills, and other fun activities. Programs run 1.5 hours and are offered throughout the day. Contact Corbrook to get on the mailing list for ongoing information about what is offered and when.

Corbrook also offers a peer support circle Monday afternoons: contact jennifer.watanabe@corbrook.com or louise.scott@corbrook.com for details.

The WM+A agency now offers a variety of onine services, including wellness check-ins, support with activities of daily living, and support for leisure and recreation options. Call 416.367.5968 or email

Housing and finances: Developmental Service Ontario has a page listing recorded webinars on a variety of topics.

Autism Ontario has a list of online resources, caregiver tips and more on their website.

Fun and Games

• Bamboozle.com/games has lots of games designed by teachers: all follow a similar format and are designed to be played by teams, plus they have options like time limits, elementary school age audience (note: this is a British game, so things like the answers to sports questions can be tricky, and it seems wildly sexist, at least in the game about guessing someone's job)
• although you have to be cautious around the ads, Buzzfeed has some fun Disney quizzes
• love Disney stuff? this site has colouring pages and games
• love bingo? you can use this site to generate a bingo card and to play a game 

Fitness and Wellbeing

• Variety Village has a bunch of exercise videos on their YouTube channel
• there are many Mindfullness videos on YouTube, and if you use a fitness/step counter app on your phone you may find it has links to mindfullness audio files or you can find them online and download them to your phone; also you might want to check out the free Medito app (one of the apps I can't live without) 
• this blog has a series of audio guided meditations of different lengths as well as live streams, and include some items specifically for sleep time
• keeping a daily journal might be a good way for your loved one to share their feelings and thoughts in a safe, private way - I like penzu.com for its simple and intuitive design (it sends positive reinforcement emails if you journal regularly, and gentle reminders if you haven't added to your journal in a while)

Social Skills

• Geneva Centre is offering online social skills groups for individuals of all ages, contact groupservices@autism.netd
• Dream Weavers continues its "Let's Talk About Sex and Relationships" program virtually