Key resources - start here - OCT1233 Occupational Therapy Practice 3

Associations and advocacy groups

The below are examples of relevant associations - use an advanced Google Search to find more.

Paediatrics / School-Based OT - Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists
Links to resources including associations, government legislation and policy, and professional documentation
School systems - American Occupational Therapy Association
Search results for "school" including articles, toolkits, news and more
Ontario Autism Coalition
Resources for parents and families including waitlist tracker for Ontario autism program, news articles, toolkits and more
People for Education - Special Education in Ontario report
Advocacy group People for Education’s 2023-24 Annual Ontario School Survey show that ongoing staff shortages and increased student needs are having an adverse impact on special education in Ontario schools.

Searching for newspaper articles via a database will help avoid paywalls.

Canadian Newsstream
Full text access to English language Canadian newspapers, including the Toronto Star from 1985, the Toronto Sun from 2007, and the Globe and Mail from 1977.
US Newsstand
Provides access to current and archival U.S. newspapers, and includes full-text newswires, blogs, and news sites.
Factiva
Current and archived news, business and company information worldwide.

UTL newspapers guide
Find local and international newspapers available via UTL
Video: Access and search newspaper databases
Screencast showing how to access and search newspaper databases at UTL

211 Ontario
Directory of Ontario community and social resources by location or keywords.
Ontario Ministry of Education

Peel District School Board - Special Education Plan 2014-25
Outlines special education services including occupational therapy.
Peel Region - Data Portal
Information on demographics, population, housing, economic activity, and the operations of the region. Tools will help you view, visualize, and use data
Video: Peel Health Data Zone Information Tool
Guide to finding neighbourhood-level information via the interactive tool provided by Region of Peel.
CIty of Mississauga Open Data
Public information including datasets, maps and apps provided by the City of Mississauga. Available for public research, analysis, reporting and mobile app development.
City of Brampton Geo Hub
Brampton's public hub for exploring and downloading open data.
More municipal data sources
A wide range of municipal information sources, from the UTL Canadian Government Information research guide.

TDSB OT/PT Public site
Public-facing site created by TDSB Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Services providing community resources and tools for students and families.
TDSB Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy Services
Description of the services provided by OTs and PTs at the school board.
City of Toronto - Reports and data centre
Find quick facts and in-depth statistics and information on neighborhoods and communities, reports on health and children among other topics, social and economic indicators, and open data. Produced by the City of Toronto.
Video: Accessing neighbourhood level data via Wellness Toronto
A quick video showing how to find neighbourhood-level demographic and social data via City of Toronto's Wellness Toronto portal.
TDSB Special Education Plan 2024
Report from the Toronto District School Board on special education
211 Central
211 Central - The directory of community services in the Greater Toronto Area including social, health and government services.
More municipal data sources
A wide range of municipal information sources, from the UTL Canadian Government Information research guide.

College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario Standards and Practice Resources
Overton
World's largest collection of policy documents, parliamentary transcripts, government guidance, and think tank research. Over 12M documents from 188+ countries and territories in many different languages with citing/cited by linkages.
Ontario Ministry of Education and Training - Standards for School Boards Special Education Plans

Statistics Canada - Children and Youth Statistics
Information on Canada’s infants, children, teens, adolescents, students, and young adults. Topics include child care arrangements, crime, education, health, immigration, labour, low income, risk behaviours and violence.
Statistics Canada - Health statistics
The Health Statistics Branch (HSB) of Statistics Canada provides data and insights about the health of the population, determinants of health and the scope and utilization of Canada's health care resources.

Statista
Statistical discovery tool to search on a wide range of topics, including health and education. Worldwide coverage.