Is this really the kind of government we want in Alberta; a government that callously silences the voices of intellectually disabled self-advocates, weaponizes information to avoid being accountable for government performance and creates an atmosphere where already deeply marginalized Albertans with disabilities and their allies fear reprisals if they speak out about important issues?
In early January 2025, the Alberta government served notice to three regional self-advocacy organizations representing adults with intellectual disabilities that their contracts would be terminated in 90 days. This callous move essentially silences the voices of some of the most marginalized citizens of Alberta. Over the last 20 years, more enlightened Conservative administrations provided this funding to encourage Albertans with intellectual disabilities to find their voices and help government understand how to best meet the support and service needs of its intellectually disabled citizens.
Historically, other administrations reduced funding to disabled Albertans but reversed these decisions when rank-and-file Albertans began to see their political leaders bullying some of Alberta’s least powerful citizens. I believe most Albertans would like to see the government reverse these unwise, unfair and cruel decision. Because of a lack of government data, advocacy organization Inclusion Alberta recently conducted surveys related to two disability programs – the Family Support for Children with Disabilities Program (FSCD) and the Persons with Developmental Disabilities Program (PDD).
Comentarios