This is a selection of resources for autistic and/or disabled people and their family members during the COVID-19 pandemic. Feel free to suggest more options in the comments.
COVID-19 Information including Plain Language, Easy Read format, and Social Stories Resources
Animated COVID19 explainer for people with developmental disabilities (Oregon Office of Developmental Disabilities Services)
Autism and the Corona virus (Dr. Peter Vermeulen)
petervermeulenblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/16/autism-and-the-corona-virus-20-tips
CDC’s COVID-19 Information For People With Disabilities:
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-disabilities.html
COVID-19: Advice and resources for autistic people during the pandemic (ASIAM.ie)
asiam.ie/autism-and-covid19-healthcare-information
One Autistic’s Guide to Thriving During Social Isolation / Social Distancing (Marie Porter)
Plain Language Booklet: My COVID-19 Plan
informingfamilies.org/covid-plan
The “Now, Next, Later” autistic-specific planning strategy (Jamie and Lion)
twitter.com/spacedoutsmiles/status/1241518988045230084?s=20
Thoughts from a Quarantined Autistic (Autistically Alex)
autisticallyalex.com/2020/03/20/quarantined-autistic
Social Stories explaining COVID-19 to people with developmental disabilities
- For all ages: tinyurl.com/GigisPlayhouseCOVID19story
- For those who live with parents: tinyurl.com/COVID19SocialStoryFamilyHome
- For those who live in group homes: tinyurl.com/COVID19SocialStoryGroupHome
We are Heroes: A Plain Language Guide about Covid-19 (A4A Ontario)
- Text version: a4aontario.com/2020/03/20/we-are-heroes-a-plain-language-guide-about
- With pictures: a4aontario.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Covid_Guide_A4AOntario.pdf
What You Need to Know About COVID-19: A Plain Language Video (ASAN and Rooted in Rights)
General COVID-19 information
California Regional Centers information:
mailchi.mp/arcanet/coronavirus-info-from-your-regional-center
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information (CDC)
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
COVID-19 Tracker (Autistic Self Advocacy Network)
The COVID Tracking Project
How the Virus Got Out (New York Times)
www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/22/world/coronavirus-spread.html
World Health Organization, including daily updates:
www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
Practical Advice and Resources
5 ways to improve hospital experiences for autistic adults (AASPIRE)
Automated Daily Check in Call for People Living Alone (I Am Fine)
COVID-19-Specific advice for managing stress and anxiety (CDC)
www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html
Determining Circles of Support
tinyurl.com/DisabilityCirclesOfSupport
Empty Grocery Shelves Are Alarming, But They’re Not Permanent (NPR)
www.npr.org/2020/03/18/817920400/empty-grocery-shelves-are-alarming-but-theyre-not-permanent
Emergency Checklists Form
tinyurl.com/DisabilityEmergencyChecklist
Emergency Plan Form
tinyurl.com/DisabilityEmergencyPlan
How to Clean Your Home for Coronavirus (New York Times)
www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/world/clean-home-coronavirus.html
How to Make a No-Sew Face Mask (Japanese Creations)blog.japanesecreations.com/no-sew-face-mask-with-handkerchief-and-hair-tie
How to Make Gel Hand Sanitizer (WikiHow)
www.wikihow.com/Make-Gel-Alcohol-Hand-Sanitizer
How to safely grocery shop during COVID19 times (Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen)
How You Should Get Food During the Pandemic (The Atlantic)
www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-how-get-food-safely/608008/
My Health Passport Form
Practical Do’s and Don’ts about pets, sex, grocery handling, etc. (Mercury News)
Understanding Competing Accessibility Needs (Brooke Winters, TPGA)
www.thinkingautismguide.com/2018/10/acknowledging-and-accepting-competing.html
Entertainment
If I Wrote a Coronavirus Episode (Vulture)
www.vulture.com/2020/04/if-i-wrote-a-coronavirus-episode.html
Machines of BART coloring sheets; click on the illustrations (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
https://www.bart.gov/news/specials/machines
Magical Bridge’s FREE virtual concerts and sing-a-longs series
Netflix Party Browser: synchronized remote Netflix viewing (Chrome Browser Extension)
Science Fiction Short Stories of Hope and Happiness, Resistance and Resilience (curated by Maria Haskins at Strange Horizons)
strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/short-fiction-treasures-quarterly-short-fiction-round-up/
Sir Patrick Stewart reads Shakespearean Sonnets
twitter.com/SirPatStew/status/1241871592700993536
Advocacy and Rights Resources
Coronavirus: How These Disabled Activists Are Taking Matters Into Their Own (Sanitized) Hands (KQED)
Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA)
COVID-19 Advocacy and Resources (DREDF)
dredf.org/covid-19-advocacy-and-resources
COVID-19 Communication Rights Toolkit (Communication First)
communicationfirst.org/covid-19
COVID-19 Disability Community Wide Resources (Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies)
tinyurl.com/COVIDisabilityResources
Disaster Hotline (800) 626-4959
COVID-19 Resources (Center for Public Representation)
www.centerforpublicrep.org/covid-19
COVID-19 Resources (The Arc)
Disability Demands
Doctors Should Not Abandon the Principle of Nondiscrimination (Ari Ne’eman, New York Times)
www.nytimes.com/2020/03/23/opinion/coronavirus-ventilators-triage-disability.html
How People of Color Can Advocate for Themselves During Emergency Room Visits (ZORA)
zora.medium.com/how-to-advocate-for-yourself-during-an-emergency-room-visit-23e9ca20549d
How to Make Your Virtual Meetings and Events Accessible to the Disability Community (Rooted in Rights)
Justice Means a Disability Justice Means a Disability-centered approach to COVID-19 (SinsInvalid)
LGBTQ community and COVID-19 (Dorchester Reporter)
www.dotnews.com/2020/fenway-health-report-lgbtq-community-and-covid-19
Preventing Discrimination in the Treatment of COVID-19 Patients: The Illegality of Medical Rationing on the Basis of Disability (DREDF)
dredf.org/the-illegality-of-medical-rationing-on-the-basis-of-disability
Classroom, Homeschool, and Life-Long Learning
Audible’s Stories collection, with selection from Littlest Learners to Teens, is making free audiobooks available “as long as schools are closed”:
stories.audible.com/start-listen
California State Parks Virtual Field Trips
California Academy of Sciences At Home
www.calacademy.org/academy-at-home
Educating All Learners Alliance
Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions due to School Closings, from Amazing Educational Resources (note that we have not vetted all the sites listed, so proceed with thoughtfulness):
www.amazingeducationalresources.com
Free live online classes to support public school families affected by closures in the wake of COVID-19 (Outschool)
blog.outschool.com/free-online-classes-for-public-school-students-affected-by-closures
How Students Around The World Are Learning and Staying Positive (UNICEF)
How Stuff Works
Learn ASL (American Sign Language) Online, from Meriah Nichols
www.meriahnichols.com/learn-asl-online
NASA Kids Club
PV Story Time: Children’s Books Read Aloud
www.youtube.com/channel/UCzKJ21dDMsbY7IB7apLZPZQ
Storyline Online: Children’s books read by celebrities
Donations, Relief, and Supports
Blood Donation FAQ (Stanford Blood Centers)
stanfordbloodcenter.org/faq-on-novel-coronavirus-and-blood-donation
COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund (WHO)
Domestic Violence Hotline
Emergency Funds for Freelancers, Creatives Losing Income During Coronavirus (KQED)
Food Relief and Donations (Boys and Girls Club)
www.bgca.org/news-stories/2020/March/BGCs-nationwide-feed-in-need-communities-during-COVID-19-crisis
Food Pantries and COVID-19 (Kelly’s Kitchen)
www.kellys-kitchen.org/post/food-pantries-and-coronavirus
Relief Funds for Undocumented Workers in California
