COVID-19 and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Information for Healthcare Providers

Since the start of the 2020 pandemic, a large amount of information has become available about the novel coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) and the disease it causes (COVID-19). This webpage gives you selected information about COVID-19 and how it affects people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers, including:

Questions and answers with the latest evidence-based information, including practice considerations for health care providers.
Practical tools and resources to support and promote the health of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monthly news updates highlighting emerging issues related to developmental disabilities and COVID-19.
Stories of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who experienced COVID-19.
Social media and expert blogs to follow.

For the latest general information about COVID-19 by the Public Health Agency of Canada, we recommend that you visit the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) website, at the Government of Canada. For public health recommendations in Ontario, read the Ontario Ministry of Health COVID-19 information.

For guidance relevant to COVID-19 and the care for people with disabilities, see also:

Guidance for Group Homes for Individuals with Disabilities, Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
COVID-19 and people with disabilities in Canada, Government of Canada
COVID-19 Resources for Congregate Living Settings, Public Health Ontario
COVID-19 Guidance: Home and Community Care Providers, Ontario Ministry of Health
Primary Care Guidance Regarding COVID-19 for Those Who Care for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, William F. Sullivan (May 18, 2020).

If you are a primary care provider in Ontario, we recommend the COVID-19 Resource Centre at the Centre for Effective Practice for general COVID-19 clinical guidance, including for special populations.

All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, Surrey Place. Contact the Developmental Disabilities Primary Care Program at Surrey Place at ddpcp@surreyplace.ca for permission to adapt information and tools to your local practice setting.