International Day of Persons with Disabilities to be recognized

Meantime, the Alberta government announced they will recognize the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3 with a ceremony at the Legislature Building.

At noon, speaker Ric McIver will host the ceremony, which they say is to promote awareness about the well-being and rights of persons with disabilities.

“As a long-time advocate for persons with disabilities, I am honoured to host this ceremony and recognize people that have made a lasting impact on Alberta’s advancement on inclusivity,” said McIver, in a media release. “People with disabilities should not be excluded – they should be our leaders in building a more equitable and welcoming society.”

The public is welcome to attend in person or through the live stream on the Legislative Assembly’s website or on their social media channels on Facebook, X and YouTube.

The provincial government is preparing to launch the Alberta Disability Assistance Program, set to begin in July 2026.

The program, which will replace the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH), the government says, will provide financial, health and personal supports to Albertans with permanent and short-term disabilities who can work.

The goal of the program is to empower Albertans with disabilities to pursue job opportunities while continuing to receive the financial, medical and personal supports they need.

However, in a recent open letter to the government, 19 former leaders and advisors to Alberta’s disability programs issued an urgent call to the provincial government to cancel the proposed ADAP and keep the AISH program.

“We are disappointed that the government has gone ahead and changed eligibility for AISH in Bill 12 and will be moving people to the new ADAP program,” said Neil Pierce, former chair of the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities. “People with disabilities were loud and clear that they did not want these changes.”

The open letter suggests the new program will cut monthly support from $1,940 to $1,740.

They explain this change threatens to move thousands of Albertans with severe disabilities into deeper poverty and undo any progress made.

“Cutting AISH while costs soar will force people into impossible choices like food versus rent, and deepen poverty,” said Tony Flores, Alberta’s first Advocate for Persons with Disabilities. “This cut comes on the heels of Alberta’s decision to claw back the $200 Canada Disability Benefit. This is not the Alberta we believe in—one that supports people to live with dignity, thrive and contribute to their communities.”

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According to the United Nations, which proclaimed the day in 1992, said the theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress, which “builds on the reaffirmed commitment of world leaders gathered at the Second World Summit for Social Development to build a more just, inclusive, equitable and sustainable world and their understanding that advancing progress on social development depends on, and indeed necessitates, the inclusion of all segments of society.”

The United Nations reports an estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disability, which represents 16 per cent of the world’s population.

In addition, some people with disabilities die up to 20 years earlier than those without disabilities and have twice the risk of developing conditions such as depression, asthma, diabetes, stroke, obesity or poor oral health.

by Ian Gustafson

International Day of Persons with Disabilities to be recognized

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