For immediate release – February 27, 2026 

Budget 2026 once again leaves children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families at the bottom of the government’s priorities. While total government spending grew by 5%, supports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities failed to receive the 3.7% increase needed to match population growth and inflation. Families will continue to suffer without supports as years-long waitlists keep growing. 

Despite broad opposition, Budget 2026 also forges ahead with creating the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP). ADAP will deepen poverty for tens of thousands of adults with disabilities and their families. 

Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) and the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP): 

To create the bureaucracy for a second program parallel to AISH, the Program Planning and Delivery budget for AISH and ADAP increases by 107% or $45.7 million this year. This massive administrative expansion is being undertaken to reduce support by $200 per month compared to AISH. ADAP assumes people with disabilities can work their way out of poverty, ignoring systemic barriers and Alberta’s labour market realities. 

Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) and Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD): 

Since Budget 2019, real per capita spending (i.e. spending adjusted for inflation and population growth) in PDD has fallen by 4.3% and in FSCD by 9.5%. The invisibility of children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families in Budget 2026 is reinforced by government’s continued unwillingness to disclose how many 1000s are on waitlists or to offer any plan to provide them with the supports they require.  

“It is heartbreaking to know thousands of children, adults and their families remain forgotten—left to navigate impossible situations alone—while our communities lose out on the gifts and contributions people with intellectual disabilities are ready to offer,” says Tina Trigg, parent of a daughter with intellectual disabilities and President of Inclusion Alberta. “When government fails to provide access to supports, it isn’t only services that are denied; it’s the hope of a life of possibility.” 

Disturbingly, government left $51 million of last year’s PDD budget unspent. The Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services had the budget to support many adults with intellectual disabilities who are without services, excluded from social and economic participation, and denied a life of possibility. It chose not to. 

“We hear from families who are experiencing job loss, worsening mental and physical health, and financial hardship because they cannot access critical supports,” says Trish Bowman, Inclusion Alberta’s CEO. “So-called ‘cost savings’ found by denying access to PDD and FSCD and reducing financial benefits with ADAP are an illusion. Without these supports, pressure shifts to already strained systems—schools, ERs, shelters, and mental health services.”  

Education: 

Added funding to hire educators could benefit all students, but classroom support alone is not enough. The government’s ‘Aggression & Complexity in Schools Report’ was clear that failing to provide support in the early years adds to challenges at school. According to the report, making families wait over three years for FSCD support means “missed opportunities during formative years, contributing to longer-term difficulties in behaviour, learning, and emotional regulation” and “schools are then left to manage these challenges.” It is urgent that the Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services implement the report’s call for immediate action to increase FSCD funding to reduce wait lists.  

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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.