SPORTS and FITNESS ⚽️🧘♂️
- Yoga For All Ages and Abilities
- Taekwondo
- Special Olympics Ontario
- MOVE by GoodLife Kids
- Sportball
- Cruisers Sports for the Physically Disabled (Para Ice Hockey, Boccia, wheelchair basketball, Multi-Sports)
- Golden Horseshoe Disabled Sports Association
- Jays Care Challenger Baseball
- Oakville Soccer Club — Breaking Barriers
- Embracing Ability Soccer Burlington
- Ontario Track 3 Ski Association
- Parasport Ontario
- Para Ice Hockey (formerly called Sledge Hockey)
- Para Fencing
- Sunrype Tri-Kids Triathlon Series “Complete Not Compete” (B.C., Alberta, Ontario)
- Variety Village—sports, swimming, camps, virtual adventures…
- We Rock The Spectrum: Kid’s Gym
WATER SPORTS ⛵️🛶
SWIMMING 🏊🏽♀️💦
GYMNASTICS 🤸🏽♀️🤸🏻♂️
CHEER 📣
- Power Cheer Toronto (Mississauga)
- CheerPride (Barrie)
- CheerForce (Oakville)
- CheerStrikeRoyals (London)
- Champion Cheer Academy (Orangeville)
- Article: My daughter wasn’t supposed to walk—now she’s a cheerleader for Team Canada
DANCE 🩰
ARTS 🎭 🎨
RIDING AND EQUINE THERAPY 🏇🏾
SOCIAL PROGRAMS & RESPITE 💛
- rEcess—Free care to children with disabilities and their siblings while their parents enjoy a night out
- Special Friends Network
- ErinOakKids Centre for Treatment and Developmen
- Recreational Respite
- My Happy Place Inc. Day Program and Respite Centre
ACCESSIBLE PARKS, BEACHES, EXCURSIONS 🏖🎟
- YOU NEED THIS CARD!! Go get one right now—Easter Seals Access 2 Card—FREE admission for many popular attractions including CINEPLEX for one caregiver to accompany disabled card holder.
- Trip C Farm
- Fiddlehead Care Farm
- Canada’s Wonderland Access 2 Card + Boarding Pass Program
- Accessible extended trail system at Westfield (Conservation Hamilton)
Accessible CAMPS (Ontario) 🏕
- Easter Seals Summer Camp
- Camp Dreamwood
- Camp Kennebec
- Kinark Outdoor Centre
- Camp Kirk
- Camp Kodiak
- Club Kodiak (19+)
- Synergy Kids Camp
- Spiral Garden Holland Bloorview
- Oakwood Camp
- Shadow Lake Centre
- Camelot Centre Day Camp 18+
- CAMPS COMMITTED TO INCLUSION PROJECT
- How to choose the right camp for your child with a disability
- Ontario Camp Subsidy Listing
FUNDING ASSISTANCE 💲
- Special Services At Home Funding (SSAH)
- Halton Support Services and Funding
- KidSport Ontario — Helps youth participate in organized sport & physical activity
- The Empowered Kids Ontario Scholarship Program
- P4P Planning Network (free webcasts and tons of great info!)
- plan.ca
- Canadian Tire Jumpstart — Assistance for children & youth to participate in organized sports & rec
- Easter Seals Incontinence Supplies Grant Program
- RDSP Info
- Disability Tax Credit Guide
- Meridan Credit Union (ODSP friendly service)
- Ontario Disability Support Program
- Passport Funding (Ontario)
DENTAL CARE 😁
- Erin Oaks Dentistry for infants, children, teens, young adults, and those with disabilities
- Ontario Cleft Lip and Palate Craniofacial Dental Program — financial assistance for specialized dental needs
GAMES and EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES 🎮
- ABCya Learning Games
- Kahn Academy
- Schoolio
- Raz-Kids
- Epic Books
- TVO mPower
- Math Storytime
- Scratch
- TVO Kids
- Typing Club
- Keyboarding (collection of helpful Links)
- StudyMap – collection of science, math, geography, music learning resources
- Math Zone Play With Numbers – collection of digital math games and activities (Thanks Callie!!)
TECH FOR SAFETY + INDEPENDENCE ⌚️📱
- Apple Watch and Apple Trackers
- AngelSense Tracker
- Project Lifesaver (tracking device with Halton Police)
INDEPENDENT and SUPPORTED LIVING 🏘
- Independent Living Program (ErinOak Kids)
- Centre For Independent Living Toronto
- Ryan’s Park Pocket Community
- Empowering Ability
- Microboards-Ontario
- P4P Page on Microboards
- Vela Canada (BC) Microboards
SUCCESSION PLANNING 👥
- Estate Planning For Beneficiaries with Disabilities
- Things to think about when succession planning
- Special Needs Planning Group
AUTISM SUPPORT and SERVICES ♾
USEFUL Blogs, Websites, Articles 👩💻
- Disability LANGUAGE Style Guide (2022)
- Neurodiversity: Basic Terms & Definitions
- Autism Canada – Words Matter
- #DearEverybody Campaign
- The Mighty
- Embracing Imperfect
- Rare Parenting
Get your own free aVery Bright Life Disability & Diversity Calendar. Save as a PDF on your phone or computer so these dates are top of mind. Or print to use as your daily calendar.
WATCH 📺
- Unseen: Caregiver Documentary
- Crip Camp
- Intelligent Lives
- Ted Talk: 3 things I learned from my intellectually disabled son
PODCASTS 🎙
- aVery Bright Life (obviously… LOL!)
- Once Upon A Gene
- The Starry Eyed Effect
- The Rare Life
- Coffee With Caregivers
- Raising Rare
- Talk About It (Epilepsy related)
- Seizing Life: Cure Epilepsy
GENETIC INFO 🧬
- Basics of Genetics
- What Is Genetic Testing?
- What is a genetic disorder?
- Unique-Rare Chromosome Disorders
- Chromosome Disorder Outreach
- GeneCards—database of annotated human genes
- Rare Toolkits—variety of topics related to living with and/or advocating for rare disease patients
- RareDiseases.org
[Avery Specific]
EPILEPSY RESOURCES 💜
- Canadian Epilepsy Alliance
- Epilepsy Ontario
- Epilepsy Canada
- Epilepsy Support Groups Across Canada
- AboutKidsHealth/SickKids: Epilepsy Learning Hub
- Types of Seizures/Classification
- Purple Day
- SUDEP Aware
- Seizure Tracker
- The Abilities In Me: Epilepsy by Gemma Keir (picture book for kids about Epilepsy)
- Taking Seizure Disorders to School: A Story About Epilepsy, by Kim Gosselin
- Sometimes I Get the Wiggles: Calling All Seizure Heroes by Andee Cooper
- aVery Bright Life Podcast Episode 75: Take Our Epilepsy Fact or Fiction Quiz
SPEECH, LANGUAGE and ASL 🗣
- Apheleia Speech: Online Speech Therapy (Avery is doing this and loving it!)
- KidsHealth
- ErinOak Kids ONLINE Speech Learning Videos
- ChatterPack
- My Smart Hands
- SigningTime
- ASL Pro
- Handspeak
- The Abilities In Me: Speech Delay by Gemma Keir (picture book for kids about speech delays)
Does your person find phone calls and video chats challenging? Same. This is why we created this Chat Chart as a tool to help keep the conversation flowing. Use ours as is, or grab your own free copy HERE and edit away!
BOOKS for Parents 📖
Kelley Coleman presents key info, templates, and wisdom alongside practical advice from over 40 experts, covering topics such as diagnosis, working with your medical team, insurance, financial planning, disability rights and advocacy, and individualized education plans. Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child gives parents the tools they need to stop wasting unnecessary time, money, and stress. If you need to know how to actually do the things, this book is for you. 😍
- Changed By A Child by Barbara Gill
- Because She Was: A Memoir by Shelley Bouwer
- The Life We Never Expected by Andrew Wilson
- Positive Discipline For Children With Special Needs by Nelsen, Foster & Raphael
- The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett
- Mom Upside Down Is Wow by Lynn Madison
- Mindful Parenting In A Messy World by Michelle Gale
BOOKS for Kids 📚
- Able Fables Books
- Special People Special Ways
- The Goose With Noodles For Wings by Jaime Henderson
- Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability
- The Land of And by Katie Mullay & Toby Allen
- Chromosome Kids Like Me by Annette Fournier
- A Different Kind Of Safari by Helen C. Hipp
- It’s OK to be Different: A Children’s Picture Book About Diversity and Kindness
- The Wonderful Way You Are: A Special Needs Picture Book
- You Are Enough: A Book About Inclusion
- I Can Do Hard Things: Mindful Affirmations for Kids
- The Abilities In Me: Down Syndrome by Gemma Keir
- Let’s Go Play- A Children’s Book About Adaptive Equipment and Inclusion
- Authentically Addie
- Ivy the Very Determined Dog
- Super Tubie
- Strictly No Elephants
- Your Purpose
- Miles To Row (Inclusive Book Club)
- Tyler The Snake
DISABILITY SUPPORTS and RESOURCES 🎗
- BREATHE Community—resources, education, advocacy
- My Ability (for Young Adults)
- Raredisorders.ca
- Ontario Disability Coalition
- Voice For Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
- March of Dimes Canada
- Abilities Expo
- Dog Guides
- MedicAlert Foundation Canada
- ConnectABILITY Canada
EMPLOYMENT Education and LIFE SKILLS Development 🚎👩🍳🛒
- Project Search
- Community Integration through Co-operative Education (CICE) Mohawk College
- Mohawk CICE FAQs
- CICE Humber College
- CICE Georgian College
- CICE Durham College
- College Vocational Program (CVP) George Brown—This program is suitable for those who have graduated from high school with an Ontario Secondary School Certificate (OSSC) or Diploma (OSSD) and workplace credits. This program is unique in Ontario.
- Community Living Ontario
- Pathways To Growth – continuing education for individuals with developmental disabilities
SOCIAL ENTERPRISE 🛍
- Melly’s Market + Cafe
- Recipes By Renée
- Pawsitively Playful Dog and Cat Toys
- BU Candles By Jacob
- Eclair Lips
- Do Good Donuts
- We Belong Market
10 Things You Need to Know When Your Child is Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes
A Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis is life-changing, but here’s what you need to know.
Nightmare On Advocacy Avenue: The Haunting Of A Disability Parent
As a parent of a child with disabilities, the unknowns can be haunting. I wrote…
Menopause: Disability Mom Edition
Balancing menopause and parenting a child with disabilities is a unique challenge. Here’s a look…
Parenting in Real Life: Embracing Imperfection and Building Community
Looking back, I laugh at what I thought were challenges in my twenties, because parenting…
Teach Kids To Be Kind and Inclusive
As the new school year begins, remember that kindness and inclusion matter. My daughter, who…
Bruh Lion—Growing Up With A Disabled Sibling
Avery’s brother has a lion’s heart. I think most kids who have siblings with disabilities…