Our Great Big List of COVID-19 Resources for Autistic People - Part 2 (General COVID-19 Information)

Autistics United Canada and Autistics for Autistics Ontario have put together a list of COVID-19 resources for autistic people, which we will continue to update!

Disclaimer: We have compiled this list based on the utility of the resources, and do not necessarily endorse any particular group or organization we have shared from. Similarly, any group or organization sharing our own resource list does not mean we endorse or have collaborated with them. 

Download our full resource list (version 3):

• Word document
• PDF

Part 1 is resources specifically for autistic people. It includes:

• AAC resources and info
• Articles on coping with the pandemic
• Online meetup info
• Things to do while staying home / sheltering in place
• Resources on how to self-advocate in health care
• Resources for parents and caregivers of autistic people
• Financial aid 
  
  

Part 2 is resources about the coronavirus / COVID-19. It includes:

• Plain language guides to COVID-19
• COVID-19 guides in non-English languages 
• Resources from federal and provincial / territorial governments 
• Virtual medical clinics in Canada
• Online / home activities
• Mutual aid
• Harm reduction
• Financial aid in Canada

Please note that since our groups are based in “Canada” on Turtle Island, we are using resources from governments within Canada. Some information, such as physical distancing / shelter-in-place guidelines, may be different in regions outside of Canada.

Click here for PART 1: Resources for Autistic People

PART 2: General COVID-19 Information
(For government financial assistance info, please scroll to the end)
 
COVID-19 Resources in Plain Language
●       COVID-19 Information By and For People with Disabilities (Green Mountain Self-Advocates)
●       Easy-to-read information about COVID-19 in many languages (Inclusion Europe)
●       We Are All Heroes, plain language COVID-19 information by autistic people (A4A Ontario)
●       Why is everything so weird (Ed Wiley Autism Acceptance Lending Library)
●       What is COVID-19? A Resource for People with Aphasia (Tactus Therapy)
●       Plain language COVID-19 information in Spanish (ARASAAC)
 
Public Health Canada Resources
●       Government of Canada's symptom self-assessment tool and resources app (iOS & Android) (version française)
●       Up-to-date COVID-19 information and notifications from the Public Health Agency of Canada (version française)
●       More up-to-date information from Public Health Canada (version française)
●       Frequently Asked Questions (version française)
If you cannot find the information you need on the website, there is a federal hotline & email.
●       1-833-784-4397 (interpretation services are available in multiple languages)
●       Email: phac.info.aspc@canada.ca
●       Please note that some people have received fraudulent / fake phone calls that seem to be from this phone number. Do not give out personal information if you did not start the call. See the Government of Canada website for details.
 
Provincial/Territorial Resources 
List of Provincial & Territorial COVID-19 Resources
●       This is a list of official information from provincial and territorial governments and health agencies
●       The list includes phone hotlines for medical questions (e.g. if you are concerned you may have COVID-19)
●       Visit your province’s information page to find out if they have other communication methods available for medical questions (e.g. TTY) 
 
Additional Provincial/Territorial Resources 
●       BC COVID-19 Provincial Support 
●       HealthLink BC 
●       Alberta Health Services
●       Public Health Ontario
●       Info on COVID-19 health and financial supports for Canadians in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog (C19 Response Coalition, British Columbia)
Some provinces have hotlines for non-medical questions about COVID-19 (e.g. if you have questions about emergency measures and relief funds):

1) British Columbia
●       Information is available in more than 110 languages, 7:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.
●       Phone: 1-888-COVID19 (1-888-268-4319)
●       Text message: 604-630-0300
2) Saskatchewan
●       Phone: 1-855-559-5502 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
●       Email: COVID19@health.gov.sk.ca 
3) PEI
●       List of phone numbers and emails
4) Newfoundland & Labrador 
●       List of phone numbers and emails
5) Northwest Territories
●       List of phone numbers and emails
Call 2-1-1 or visit your province’s 211 website to connect with other community and social services in your area
 
 
Resources in Languages Other than English
1) American Sign Language (ASL)
●       Myths & facts about COVID-19 (Gallaudet University)
2) Amharic
●       ናይ ኮቪድ-19 ሓበሬታ ብቋንቋኹም (Alberta Health Services)
3) Arabic
●       فیروس كورونا (كوفید-19 (HealthLink BC)
●       COVID-19 فيروس كورونا المستجد (Government of Ontario)
●       حياة عيلتنا: تعليمات الوقاية من الكورونا (Our Family Life حياة عيلتنا) - Levantine dialect (subtitles in English, Arabic, and Turkish)
4) Bengali
●       2019 ন োভেল কভরো োেোইরোস কক (Government of Ontario)
5) Chinese
●       Info on COVID-19 health and financial supports for Canadians in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog (C19 Response Coalition, British Columbia)
●       Simplified Chinese
o   新型冠状病毒常见问题-中文 (BC Centre for Disease Control)
o   Simplified Chinese Fact Sheets (Ontario Public Health)
o   2019 年新型冠状病毒 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
●       Traditional Chinese
o   新型冠狀病毒（COVID-19）(HealthLink BC)
o   新型冠狀病毒常見問題-中文 (BC Centre for Disease Control) 
o   2019 年新型冠狀病毒 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
●       Cantonese
o   COVID-19 Cantonese (BC Centre for Disease Control)  - Video
o   「不得了啦 !」為什麼要洗手+20秒洗手歌 (麥兜Mcdull) - Video
●       Mandarin
o   COVID-19 Mandarin (BC Centre for Disease Control)  - Video
6) Eastern Ojibwe
●       2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
7) Farsi
●       COVID-19 سوالات متداول درباره ویروس کرونای جدید (BC Centre for Disease Control)
●       ویروس کرونا (کووید-19 (HealthLink BC)
●       (COVID-19) 19 ویروس کرونای جدید (Government of Ontario)
8) French
●       Guide autosoins - COVID-19 (Government of Quebec)
●       Foire aux questions sur le nouveau coronavirus COVID-19 (BC Centre for Disease Control)
●       Coronavirus (COVID-19) (HealthLink BC)
●       Nouveau coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
9) German
●       Self-Isolation Fact Sheet (Government of Manitoba)
●       Neuartiger Coronavirus 2019 (Government of Ontario)
10) Greek
●        Νέος κοροναϊός 2019  (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
11) Gujarati
●       2019 નોવેલ કોરોનાવાયરસ (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
12) Hindi
●       कोरोनावाइरस (COVID-19) (HealthLink BC)
●       2019 नॉवल कोरोनावाइरस (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
13) International Sign
●      COVID-19 information in International Sign language (World Federation of the Deaf)
14) Inuktitut 
●       COVID Infographics (Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami)
15) Italian
●       Italian Fact Sheets (Ontario Public Health)
●       Nuovo coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
16) Japanese
●       新型コロナウイルス感染症 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
17) Korean
●       코로나바이러스(COVID-19) (HealthLink BC)
●       Korean Fact Sheets (Ontario Public Health)
●       2019 년도 신종 코로나바이러스(COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
●       EI Explainer in Korean (One World Foundation Canada for Human Rights)
18) Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) 
●       Guide autosoins - COVID-19 (Government of Quebec)
●       Contenu en LSQ (Government of Quebec)
19) Mohawk
●        2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
20) Oji-Cree
●        2019 ᑭᒋᐊᑭᑯᑲᐊᐧᐱᓀᐃᐧᐣ (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
21) Polish
●        Nowy koronawirus 2019 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
22) Portuguese 
●       Novo coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
23) Punjabi
●       2019 ਨੋਵੇਲ ਕਰੋਨਾਵਾਇਰਸ ਬਾਰੇ ਆਮ ਤੌਰ ‘ਤੇ ਪੁੱਛੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਸਵਾਲ (ਕੋਵਿਡ-19) (BC Centre for Disease Control)
●       ਕੋਰੋਨਾਵਾਇਰਸ (COVID-19) (HealthLink BC)
●       2019 ਨਾਵਲ ਕੋਰੋਨਾਵਾਇਰਸ (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
24) Russian
●       Новый коронавирус 2019 года (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
25) Romanian 
●       Noul coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
26) Somali
●       2019 coronavirus cusub (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
●       Xog ku saabsan COVID-19 (Alberta Health Services)
27) Spanish
●       Plain language COVID-19 information in Spanish (ARASAAC)
●       Coronavirus (COVID-19) (HealthLink BC)
●       Spanish Fact Sheets (Ontario Public Health)
●       Nuevo coronavirus de 2019 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
●       Enfermedad crónica y cuidado mutuo (Chronic illness Leadership For Emergent Times
28) Swampy Cree
●        2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
29) Tagalog
●       Coronovirus Fact Sheet (Government of Manitoba)
●       Self-Isolation Fact Sheet (Government of Manitoba)
●       Tagalog Fact Sheets (Ontario Public Health)
●       2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-1) (Government of Ontario)
●       Info on COVID-19 health and financial supports for Canadians in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog (C19 Response Coalition, British Columbia)
30) Tamil
●       2019 புதிய கொரோனாவைரஸ் (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
31) Ukranian
●       Новий тип коронавірусу 2019 (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
32) Urdu 
●       2019 ناول کورونا وائرس (COVID-19) (Government of Ontario)
33) Vietnamese
●       Vi-rút Corona (COVID-19) (HealthLink BC)
●       NGĂN CHẶN SỰ LÂY LAN CỦA CORONAVIRUS (Government of Alberta)
●       Thông Tin về COVID-19 (Alberta Health Services)
●       Vi-rút corona mới 2019 (2019-nCoV) (Government of Ontario)
●       Easy-to-read information about COVID-19 in many languages (Inclusion Europe)
●       Info on COVID-19 health and financial supports for Canadians in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog (C19 Response Coalition, British Columbia)
 
Doctor’s Appointments and Virtual Clinics
●       Please contact your doctor’s office or local walk-in clinic by email or phone. 
●       Talk to a doctor online:
o   Babylon by TELUS Health iOS & Android app (free for British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario residents)
o   Access Virtual (free for BC residents)
o   Vivacare (free for BC residents)
o   WELL Health VirtualClinic+ (free for BC residents)
o   Appletree Virtual Care (free for Ontario residents)
o   List of Yukon doctors offering virtual appointments
 
Health and Disability
●       Emergency Preparedness Guide for People with Disabilities (Government of Canada)
o   HTML version (English)
o   HTML version (Français)
o   PDF (Français)
●       Disability and inclusion strategies during COVID-19 (Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism)
o   Highlights in this Twitter thread
●       COVID-19 information and resources for people living with pain
●       Disabled Creatives & Artists Relief Fund (Crip Camp Impact Campaign & Color of Change)
 
Mental Health
●       Wellness Together Canada (version française)
National online portal to connect with free mental health supports

• Wellness self-assessment and tracking.
• Self guided courses, apps, and other resources.
• Group coaching and community of support.
• Counselling by text or phone.

 
Things to Do When Staying Home / Sheltering in Place
●       87 Free or Cheap Ways To Stay Calm and Decompress (While Still Practicing Social Distancing!)
●       Online Activities List (for youth and others!)  
●       Free Colouring Books from 113 Museums
●       Museums Offering Virtual Tours
●       Virtual Field Trips
●       The Metropolitan Opera in New York is streaming operas for free
●       Social Distancing Festival - showcasing artists impacted by COVID-19
●       Hundreds of varied free Ivy League MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses) - Note that attendance certificates require a fee
●       Libraries may also be offering free online courses, such as Vancouver Public Library
●       Free Virtual Table Top Simulator
●       Open Gaming Network 
●       Self-isolation tips and social opportunities (thread)
 
Holding Online Meetings
●       Resources for Online Meetings, Classes, and Events
 
Mutual Aid

Mutual aid is helping each other: delivering groceries, providing supplies, giving emotional support, and more. Many mutual aid groups were created across Canada during the pandemic. They are places where neighbours can ask for help and offer help. All help in mutual aid groups is free.

●       COVID-19 Mutual Aid Groups (Facebook): Vancouver, Squamish Nation, Yukon, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Fredericton, Halifax, PEI 
There are many more! This is not an exhaustive list. 
●       Queer / LGBTQ+ Spoon Shares (Facebook): Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Greater Victoria, Calgary, Montreal
●       Vancouver Coming Together Website & App (BC)
●       Nelson Spoon Share (BC)
●       Pod mapping for mutual aid
●       How to create neighbourhood pods
●       How to start a neighbourhood pod (Canada)
o   Presentation slides
 
Harm Reduction for Drug Users
●       Safer Drug Use During the COVID-19 Outbreak (Harm Reduction Coalition)
 
Financial Aid in Canada
​●       COVID-19 Relief Funding from the Government of Canada under the Economic Response Plan 
●       Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Benefits and Services (Employment and Social Development Canada)
●       COVID-19 Benefits Explainer (Adrienne Smith Law)
●       EI Factsheet (BC Government and Service Employees’ Union)
●       EI Explainer in Korean (One World Foundation Canada for Human Rights)
●       Available Emergency Funds during COVID-19 - List of crowdsourced survival funds for the people across Turtle Island / North America 
●       For provincial and territorial funding, please visit the website of your province/territory.
●       Many town and city government websites have local information.
​
We will continue to update this resource list. Please let us know by emailing us at info@autisticsunitedca.org if you have any resources to suggest, especially ones for neurodivergent & disabled people!