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  1. LiveWorkPlay
  2. How We Can Help You
  3. Accessing Supports

Accessing Supports

Navigating the world of Developmental Services, the Ontario Disability Support Program, Developmental Services Ontario, Passport individualized funding, Employment Ontario, and other systems and services people with intellectual disabilities or autistic persons and their families might need can be overwhelming. At LiveWorkPlay we have very little control over how individuals and families experience these systems, but we are here to help, and this includes striving for clarity about our own supports and how they are accessed. As described in How We Can Help You, we have two distinct options (the funding mechanism and registration are operated by two different provincial ministries and are completely different processes).

Employment Supports are provided through Employment Ontario. To get started with LiveWorkPlay Employment Supports contact our Employment Supports intake coordinator Neil Abraham 613-703-5277 to learn more. You can expect to hear back within two business days. Please note that Employment Supports are a completely separate service (not connected to Community Supports, see below) and are overseen by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Our general hours for employment supports are 8:30-5:00, Monday to Friday, by appointment only.

Canada - Employment Ontario - Ontario

LiveWorkPlay’s Employment Ontario employment services are funded in part by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario.


If you are are currently receiving Employment Supports from LiveWorkPlay and you are looking to provide a compliment or complaint, or you are looking for other information for those who are already working with our employment team, please click here.

Community Supports

Please note: Community Supports are a completely separate service (not connected to Employment Supports) and Community Supports (except for fee-for-service Friday Night Meetups, see below) are funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

How do I access LiveWorkPlay Community Supports?

LiveworkPlay Community Supports can only be accessed via a funded placement through Developmental Services Ontario (click here to learn more). There is no cost to supports accessed through DSO as they are funded by MCCSS. This requires a registration and placement process which is conducted independently of LiveWorkPlay. Due to chronic underfunding of the Developmental Services system, completing the process will not lead to immediate access to supports from LiveWorkPlay, or any other agency that is eligible to accept DSO referrals. Because the DSO system uses prioritization methods to manage the scarcity of resources, the passage of time alone does not move people closer to receiving supports and the wait can be long (years or even decades).

What about the Friday Night Meetups initiative?

LiveWorkPlay Firday Night Meetups supports people with intellectual disabilities and other local citizens to get out and enjoy the community together. Taking part in Friday Night Meetups requires each person to pay for their own food, admissions, tickets, transportation, and other costs as well as an annualized fee. LiveWorkPlay staff provide significant logistical support from week to week, but each meetup is supported by volunteers, not staff. This means that Friday Night Meetups enrollment is limited according to the availability of volunteers. To express your interest in Friday Night Meetups contact Grace Hudson.

Please note that there is a source of funding that can help you pay for Friday Night Meetups and many other community expenses, and this can be used for agency services, or for you to pay directly for community activities. It is called Passport funding and it is provided through MCCSS (click here to learn more). It is a type of individualized funding provided to the individual and/or their family which can be used according to Passport guidelines for a variety of expenses. Typically it is $5500 per year (the minimum if you are qualified).

I was told that we can purchase SIL supports from LiveWorkPlay via fee-for-service using Passport or our own funds?

LiveWorkPlay used to offer SIL supports on a fee-for-service basis, and we continue to do so for individuals and families who contracted for those services prior to 2025. In 2025 we made the difficult decision that we cannot afford to continue this practice and we are not taking new contracts. The amount of work in managing individual contracts, which often comes with Passport reporting and other extra administrative tasks, is not sustainable. The fee we are permitted to charge is a maximum of 10%, which in 2025 would be considered a very low tip for orderig a coffee. The fees we are permitted to charge are much less than the administrative costs involved in providing the service, so if and until such time as MCCSS changes these fee arrangements, we can no longer offer this service.

If you are looking for Community Supports provided by a designated French language service provider, you can contact these agencies directly:

or you may wish to contact Services de l’Ontario pour les personnes ayant une déficience intellectuelle to discuss the different services that are available.