Table 11. How family members and paid staff supported communication for persons with IDD with their family and friends.

	Family members (n=1,912)			All paid staff (n=1,842)			Total (n=3,754)
	Total 1	Yes 2	%	Total 1	Yes 2	%	Total 1	Yes 2	%
How caregivers supported communication with family and friends
Did caregivers use online tools (e.g., phones, email, Zoom, Whatsapp) to support people with IDD communicate with friends and family?	1,631	1183	72.5%	1,697	1,346	79.3%	3,328	2,529	76.0%
If yes, was this type of online communication used before COVID-19?	1,175	713	60.7%	1,338	721	53.9%	2,513	1,434	57.1%
If yes, was this type of communication used more than before pandemic?	712	519	72.9%	970	815	84.0%	1,682	1,334	79.3%
Did caregivers experience difficulty with internet during the pandemic?	1,676	332	19.8%	1,807	378	20.9%	3,483	710	20.4%
Was funding was made available for communication devices (e.g., iPads)?	1,629	148	9.1%	1,707	333	19.5%	3,336	481	14.4%

¹ Total number of respondents who answered the survey item.

² Total number of respondents who gave a positive response ‘yes’ to the survey item.