We hope this will help you think about options and make the best choices possible for your family, with the help of your therapy team. Buying and getting equipment (e.g., wheelchairs, iPads, ramps, special bikes, etc.) for your child/youth involves many steps and a lot of choices.
What’s Most Important?
Funding sources are quite limited. If you have more than one item that is needed and are hoping to get help to pay for them, you may want to have a discussion with your therapy team to decide how to start.
Some new equipment can be paid for with government or special program funding; however, these programs have rules about:
- Household income
- What equipment is likely to be funded
- When the funding is available
- How much funding is available
- What parts of the equipment can be funded.
When deciding to buy equipment, there are many things to think about:
- How soon your child/youth will outgrow the equipment?
- What other equipment may be needed in the next few months/years?
- What you can pay for yourself?
- Can equipment be rented or borrowed?
- Can used equipment be found?
- Ask your child/youth’s therapy team for their thoughts!
Funding Sources
There are a number of common places to apply for money for equipment. This may depend on your child/youth’s disability or your family income. These include:
- ADP (Assistive Devices Program)
- ACSD (Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities)
- Easter Seals Ontario
- Employee benefit programs may also cover some or all of your equipment costs.
Other Funding Sources
If more funding is needed, you may have to get creative! Some people have had good luck with fundraisers (e.g., GoFundMe, bottle drives), community groups or clubs (e.g., Rotary Club, Mocha Shriners), your family’s place of worship, extended family and employee or union groups.
Need Help?
TVCC has information on funding in our TVCC Funding Guide or the Funding 101 document. If you need more support, ask your TVCC therapist about a referral to our Social Work team.
What Comes Next?
Once you have decided on your equipment needs and have a plan for how the equipment will be paid for, talk to your TVCC therapist about:
- What ordering and receiving the equipment should look like
- Who to call with questions
- Who to follow up with for repairs
See also:
Funding Equipment Worksheet this printable resource will help you with questions to ask and things to think about as you explore funding for equipment.
Funding 101 This resource provides the most common funding sources for families of children/youth with disabilities. It’s a great place to get started!
The TVCC Funding Guide (648 kb pdf) This extensive guide was made to answer any questions families may have about financial support and funding options available to meet the needs of children/youth with disabilities.
Funding Mobility Equipment (ADP) This resource will help families looking to learn a bit more about funding options for seating and mobility equipment.
