Alberta’s disability program overhaul fails province’s most vulnerable
Kevin Sabo is the editor of the Stettler Independent and a journalist for Black Press Media.
It is not hyperbole to state that the Alberta government’s changes to the disability portfolio will cost lives. It already has, with at least one reported suicide due to the stress of the changes.
At the beginning of July, the majority of Albertans on Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) were transitioned to the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP), and the rollout has been anything but smooth.
During the end of July disability payment window, social media exploded with news that people who could least afford it had either not received funds, or received too little. While the ministry assured everyone that the payments had been corrected a couple of days later, anecdotal evidence in social media support groups shows that people had still not received payments a full week into August.
That money is rent.
That money is groceries.
That money is medication.
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