Last week, the Alberta Government released the ADAP Discussion Guide, proposing that all current AISH recipients be moved to the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) with a benefit that will be $200 per month lower. This cut will worsen an already desperate situation for Albertans on AISH, already below Canada’s poverty line. This follows two earlier blows: the clawback of the $200 Canada Disability Benefit and a $220 per month rent hike for AISH tenants in Community Housing.

“From the 1970s when my son with intellectual disabilities was born until today, I’ve never witnessed such a recurrent pattern of government decisions that harm people with disabilities,” said Barbara Nish, Vice President of Inclusion Alberta. “It’s beyond comprehension that MLAs would raise their housing allowance by $270 to $2,200 per month while cutting $200 from people with disabilities—three times in a row.”

According to the Discussion Guide, all current AISH recipients would be moved to ADAP in July 2026. While a $200 transition benefit delays the cut until January 2028 for those already on AISH, new applicants after July 1, 2026, such as someone turning 18, will receive only $1,740 per month rather than the 2025 AISH rate of $1,940.

“This is a devastating blow to people with disabilities on AISH. They will see their income decreased based on the assumption that with a little job training, they will be able to secure and maintain sufficient employment,” says Trish Bowman, CEO of Inclusion Alberta. “There is nothing proposed here that will address complex and deep-rooted systemic barriers and materially change the longstanding 80% unemployment rate for adults with intellectual disabilities. This is simply going to drive Albertans with disabilities deeper into poverty and despair.”

The Discussion Guide presents case studies to illustrate ADAP’s advantages, but omits key facts. Someone with employment income of $1,492 per month would actually have $164 less on ADAP than with the current earnings exemptions available through AISH. To be better off on ADAP, an individual needs to earn $25,680 per year from employment—about 33 hours per week at minimum wage. The vast majority of adults with disabilities will be worse off by $200 per month.

While increased funding for employment supports may help some, this will not be enough to help most adults with disabilities overcome systemic and attitudinal job market barriers or Alberta’s highest unemployment rate since the pandemic. Inclusion Alberta calls on the government to redesign ADAP before it plunges thousands into deeper poverty.

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Inclusion Alberta Chief Executive Officer Trish Bowman is available for interviews. Please contact Sara Protasow, Inclusion Alberta Communications Coordinator at sprotasow@inclusionalberta.org or 780-906-4693.

About Inclusion Alberta: Inclusion Alberta is a family based, non-profit federation that advocates on behalf of children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families. Together, we share a dream of meaningful family life and community inclusion for individuals with intellectual disabilities. As an advocacy organization, we support families and individuals in their desire to be fully included in community life.