As it does each year, the Alberta government is inviting Albertans to share their priorities for the 2026–27 provincial budget. The online budget survey is open until January 15, 2026, and can be accessed here. Supports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families have been eroding for years, leaving thousands in desperate circumstances. This is an important opportunity to remind government of the need for adequate funding for programs and supports that enable children and adults with intellectual disabilities—and their families—to live inclusive, meaningful lives. 

While some increases were provided in the 2025 provincial budget, they were well below what is needed to keep pace with population growth and inflation. Funding did not address the large gaps facing thousands who experience insufficient supports or no support at all due to ever-growing delays for FSCD for children and PDD for adults with intellectual disabilities and their families.  

Inclusion Alberta supports the government’s goal of helping Albertans with disabilities pursue meaningful employment. However, the proposed Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) cuts benefits and earning exemptions, leaving most people worse off even if they work. The government has removed from legislation the requirement for annual cost-of-living increases , meaning that the value of AISH and ADAP benefits could erode over time. These changes should be cancelled before they deepen poverty.  

Your voice can help ensure that people with intellectual disabilities are not left behind in another budget cycle. By completing the provincial budget survey, you can send a clear message that timely, adequately funded supports are essential to building an inclusive Alberta where every person has the opportunity to contribute, belong, and thrive.  

Below we offer suggestions to help you reflect your priority for improved government support for people with intellectual disabilities and their families. 

Take the Alberta government’s 2026 budget survey here

_

Section 2: Alberta’s Economy 

Question 3: What are the three most important priorities for Alberta’s continued economic growth?

We suggest selecting “Other” as priorities related to children and adults with intellectual disabilities are not reflected in the choices offered.  

Section 4: Budget Choices 

Question 1: To what extent do you support or oppose the following measures Alberta has taken to make life more affordable and make the province an attractive place to live, work and raise a family. Please rate your level of support for each of the following: 

Annual adjustments to social benefits (i.e. AISH or Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) that reflect the cost of living 

“Strongly Support”   

Question 2: What other actions could Alberta’s government take to make your life more affordable and the province an attractive place to live, work and play? 

Your answer could include: 

Option 1: Alberta can improve affordability by ensuring timely access to FSCD, PDD, and by preserving the AISH program instead of creating ADAP with lower benefits. When supports are delayed or benefits are reduced, families face out-of-pocket costs, lost work hours, or leaving the workforce entirely. Adequate funding and fair income support help families stay employed, reduce financial strain, and strengthen Alberta’s economy. 

Option 2: Making Alberta more attractive starts with strengthening inclusive childcare, education, and community supports, and cancelling ADAP to preserve the incomes of adults with disabilities. When people can participate fully in school, work, and community life—with income programs that support rather than limit opportunity—families build roots, employers gain a stronger workforce, and communities become more welcoming. 

Option 3: Timely FSCD and PDD supports—and income programs that do not reduce benefits under ADAP—help prevent crises and reduce pressure on health care and emergency systems. When families receive support before situations escalate, children and adults remain healthier, stable, and included. These investments improve quality of life and help create a more affordable, resilient province for everyone. 

Question 3: The government has committed to a fiscal framework that mandates balanced budgets (with exceptions), limits growth in operating expenses, while prioritizing paying debt and saving for the future. In years with a deficit, would you prefer if the government:  

Select ‘Other’:  

Option 1: Balanced budgets should never come at the expense of people with disabilities. Protect FSCD, PDD, and AISH, and reverse the clawback of the Canada Disability Benefit for adults who receive AISH. 

Option 2: Do not balance the budget by reducing disability supports. FSCD, PDD, and AISH must be protected and funded to meet real needs without reducing benefits or putting people on waitlists. 

Option 3: Do not cut disability supports. Reductions to FSCD, PDD, or AISH will undermine family stability and increase long-term costs in health, homelessness and emergency services. 

Question 4: Which areas do you think should receive more, the same or less government funding? 

Social Supports 

“More” 

Section 5: Final Thoughts 

Question 2: Do you have any final thoughts to add about budget priorities? 

Your answer could include:  

Option 1: FSCD wait times of 3–4 years leave children without early intervention, and many adults wait years for PDD unless deemed “critical and urgent.” These delays force parents out of the workforce and create long-term costs in health, education, and social service systems. ADAP may further reduce income and stability for adults who already face barriers to finding work. With Alberta’s rapid population growth, funding must increase to meet demand and ensure timely, inclusive supports. 

Option 2: Alberta must prioritize funding for PDD and FSCD, and protect AISH, not forcing adults into poverty on ADAP or requiring them to prove “unemployability” to keep essential supports. Multi-year delays harm families, increase public costs, and force many parents to leave work. Stable, adequate investment in disability and income supports strengthens both inclusion and Alberta’s economy. 

Option 3: Budget 2026–27 must meaningfully increase FSCD and PDD funding to address long delays in eligibility, caseworker assignment, and essential services. ADAP’s proposed $200 monthly benefit reduction and lower earning exemptions will further limit opportunity for adults with disabilities. Investing now will prevent lost developmental opportunities, reduce family stress, and ease pressure on crisis systems. 

Option 4: A strong budget must ensure disability supports—and income programs like AISH—keep pace with Alberta’s growth. FSCD and PDD prevent avoidable crises, but ADAP risks increasing financial strain by lowering benefits or reassessing people who have already proven long-term disability. Funding based on real need, not crisis thresholds, is essential to the long-term health of families and communities. 

Option 5: Behind every waitlist number is a child missing milestones, a parent pushed to exhaustion, or an adult with an intellectual disability losing chances to learn, work, or belong. ADAP’s lower benefits for adults and restrictive earning rules risk worsening this reality. Alberta is stronger when every child and adult with intellectual disabilities has the chance to grow, participate, and be valued. The next budget is a chance to show that children and adults with disabilities and their families matter. 

Take the Alberta government’s 2026 budget survey here (deadline to take the survey is January 15, 2026)