Stuck at Home? Resources to Stay Active and Engaged

Life is looking very different right now, thanks to the coronavirus outbreak. Many people are staying close to home, teleworking or telelearning, and restricting their social interactions significantly. During this unprecedented time, people may want to explore opportunities to learn and interact online, and they may be looking for activities they can participate in while keeping up the recommended social distancing. We’ve gathered some resources from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere which we hope will help you stay engaged, active, and connected to your community.

Keep Learning

Online courses, webinars, and programs can help you stay mentally engaged. Many of these learning tools also offer continuing education credits which can be applied toward certifications, memberships, and professional licensing.

Stay Active and Engaged Close to Home

We may not be able to go to our favorite gym or exercise class, but we can still be active and stay within the recommended guidelines.

  • Create a virtual wellness group with this Wellness Activity Manual from the RRTC on Integrated Health Care and Self-Directed Recovery.
  • Explore resources for exercise and physical activity after spinal cord injury or burn injury from the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC).
  • Check out assistive technology guides for sewing, drawing and painting, gardening, video gaming and exergaming, working out, and more.

Connect to the Community Virtually

Many of us are turning to our social media feeds and our email inboxes to stay connected to friends, family, and coworkers. It can also be useful for researchers who want to get their research results into the community without traveling to conferences and meetings.

Consider Online Participation in Research

From surveys to phone or web interviews, there are many ways to participate in ongoing research that can benefit you and your community without leaving home. We regularly feature these opportunities in our News and Notes from the NIDILRR Community and Beyond weekly newsletter. Here are just a few currently recruiting participants:

In addition to these resources from the NIDILRR grantee community, you might want to explore these websites from other agencies, organizations, and national sites:

  • National Park Service – find and virtually explore national parks nearby and far away, learn about discount programs for seniors and people with disabilities.
  • Smithsonian Institutions – virtually explore the Smithsonian’s collections and exhibits, plan a future trip, visit the Science Education Center for fun games to play online.
  • National Gallery of Art – virtually explore the exhibits, find lessons and online courses for adults and kids.
  • National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability – find articles, videos, and more to keep you healthy, active, and engaged.
  • 211.org – the Information and Referral community is fully engaged in helping people connect to help in their community. Call 211 or visit 211.org to find your local help line, speak with a community resource specialist, and find the support you need.
  • National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled – NLS is a free braille and talking book library service for people with temporary or permanent low vision, blindness, or a physical disability that prevents them from reading or holding the printed page.

We hope you and your community remain healthy, active, and connected during this stressful time. Please contact our information specialists if we can be of any assistance!

This entry was posted in Right Resources Right Now and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Stuck at Home? Resources to Stay Active and Engaged

  1. Pingback: [BLOG POST] Stuck at Home? Resources to Stay Active and Engaged – Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center | TBI Rehabilitation

  2. Pingback: » COVID-19 Statement · Independence, Inc.

  3. Pingback: COVID-19 Information and Resources - Independence Inc

  4. Pingback: COVID-19 Information and Resources : Independence Inc

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.