Inclusion Alberta

10/20/2026

Why should AISH and ADAP provide enough income for people with disabilities to live in dignity and security when they can't earn enough?

Here's why it's important to Megan.

Why are disability supports important to you and your family? How have the recent changes to AISH and the new ADAP impacted you?

Tell your story at: https://stories.inclusionalberta.org/category/aish-and-adap

10/16/2026

It's an Edmonton Elks Football Club game day (💚💛 GO ELKS!)! An important piece of game day prep comes from Equipment Assistant D'Voughn, back for his second season in a role that he secured through Inclusion Alberta's Rotary Employment Partnership.

Being part of a team extends beyond the field. In his role, D’Voughn helps prepare equipment, organize gear, and support players during practices and game days. His work contributes to the team’s success and highlights what inclusive employment makes possible: meaningful work, valued contributions, and belonging.

D’Voughn's story is one of more than 1,000 paid jobs created through Inclusion Alberta’s Rotary Employment Partnership, which celebrates 25 years this year. Behind this milestone are people pursuing their ambitions and employers taking action to create opportunities. Through Inclusion Alberta’s Rotary Employment Partnership, employers like the Elks are turning possibility into paid employment. Thank you for taking action and making inclusion part of your team! 💚💛

Join inclusive businesses like The Edmonton Elks to take action to open doors, build inclusive workforces, and tap into an often-overlooked talent pool. Learn more about how you can tap into a valuable labour market by becoming an inclusive employer through the Rotary Employment Partnership: https://inclusionalberta.org/what-we-do/inclusive-employment/rotary-employment-partnership/

10/15/2026

Mariah says that having Family Supports for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) would be life changing for her family, but they've been stuck for years on a waitlist.

Share your family's experience with disability supports at: https://stories.inclusionalberta.org/category/disability-supports

10/13/2026

People with intellectual disabilities have the same right to vote as every other Albertan. We encourage everyone to exercise that right in the October 19 referendum.

Advance polls are open until October 17. Voting in a referendum is different from voting in an election, so take some time to learn about the questions being asked and talk with people you trust if you'd like support in making your decision. You can find more information about the referendum questions on Election Alberta's website here: https://www.elections.ab.ca/

Elections Alberta provides accessibility supports, including barrier-free access and support with reading or marking a ballot. Learn more: https://www.elections.ab.ca/voters/accessible-voting/

10/13/2026

🎉 GOOD NEWS:
30 years ago, Inclusion Alberta was connected to a family in Panama whose baby, Jose, was in need of a life-saving heart transplant which he couldn’t receive at home. Jose has Down syndrome, and due to sustained advocacy, the rules in Alberta had recently changed allowing people with Down syndrome and other disabilities to be equally eligible for transplants.

Edmontonians rallied to support the family, medical staff donated their time, and baby Jose received his life saving surgery. Jose is now 30 years old and has been living a full life! He and his family visited Edmonton last week for the first time since the surgery.

“Our main goal to come back here to this city is to say thank you and to let them know that in this life, everything can be possible,” says his mother Sadia.

Check out the full story on the news page of our website here: https://inclusionalberta.org/curated-news-content/

10/09/2026

"Strong communities are built when people grow up together, learn together, and develop relationships across differences. When students with disabilities are educated separately, all students lose opportunities to develop empathy, co-operation, mutual responsibility, and respect. Inclusion strengthens the social bonds that help communities thrive."

Parent of a child with an intellectual disability and President of Inclusion Edmonton Region Rajesh Kumar recently shared an opinion piece in the Edmonton Journal titled "Students with disabilities need inclusion - not segregation".

Check out the full piece on the news page of our website here: https://inclusionalberta.org/curated-news-content/

10/08/2026

Inclusion Alberta joins our national partner, Inclusion Canada, in welcoming the Government of Canada's announcement that Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) will not be expanded to people whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.

While this is an important step, we are deeply concerned by the government's plan to introduce legislation permitting advance requests for MAiD. This would allow MAiD to be provided after a person has lost the capacity to consent. With Inclusion Canada, we urge Parliament to reject this proposal.

Parliament should next repeal Track 2 MAiD, which makes MAiD available to people who are not dying. As Inclusion Canada argues, Track 2 singles out people with disabilities and violates their equality rights.

OTTAWA, ON, October 7, 2026 - Inclusion Canada welcomes today’s announcement by Justice Minister Sean Fraser that medical assistance in dying (MAiD) will stay closed indefinitely to people whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness. Inclusion Canada strongly opposes the government...

10/08/2026

This fall, we would be honoured if you joined us at the breakfast table to hear first-hand stories from some of the families whose lives have been impacted by the work of Inclusion Alberta. Be inspired and have your hope renewed by the power and possibilities of inclusion!

Come on your own or with a friend, family member or colleague or even host a table of 10. There is no cost to attend and no obligation to give.

-If you're in the Edmonton area, join us November 5 from 7:30am-8:30am at the Edmonton Inn (11834 Kingsway). Anyone from around the province can join this event virtually by Zoom as well.
-Those in the Calgary area are invited to join us November 17 from 7:30am-8:30am at the Sheraton Eau Claire (255 Barclay Parade SW)

To RSVP, please contact [email protected] or call 587-338-7728.

Thank you to our amazing sponsors (who are also inclusive employers!), Concordia University of Edmonton, Milkjar, DHL and ATCO. Because of them, all funds raised at these events go directly to supporting the many children and adults with intellectual disabilities and their families in our communities who need us. ❤

10/08/2026

We still have a few spots left for our our free virtual workshop on Oct. 20 called "Inclusive Education 101: Building belonging through collaboration".

Whether your child is newly attending school in kindergarten to grade 12 or you are looking for strategies to strengthen your child’s inclusion at school, this virtual session will help you understand your child’s rights, available supports, best practices, and practical approaches for working collaboratively with your child’s school team.

Everyone is welcome to join but this event will be of particular interest to families of children with intellectual disabilities pursuing an inclusive education.

Learn more and register at: https://inclusionalberta.org/event/inclusive-education-101-building-belonging-through-collaboration-online-workshop/

Families who are interested in pursuing an inclusive education for their child are invited to join us for a free virtual workshop on October 20 from 6:30-8:30pm.

𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟬𝟭: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

​𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: October 20, 2026 | 6:30pm-8:30pm

​𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:Virtual/Zoom

𝗪𝗵𝗼: Everyone is welcome to join but this event will be of particular interest to families of children with intellectual disabilities pursuing an inclusive education.

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Catherine Oakleaf, Inclusion Alberta Director of Advocacy and Stacey Andrews, Inclusion Alberta Senior Advocate

𝗧𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿: This event is free to attend but please register in advance at: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/YOHkls1UTuCRuO1Hyij_ug #/registration

Whether your child is newly attending school in kindergarten to grade 12 or you are looking for strategies to strengthen your child’s inclusion at school, this virtual session will help you understand your child’s rights, available supports, best practices, and practical approaches for working collaboratively with your child’s school team.

Together, we’ll explore how families can work collaboratively with educators, navigate common challenges, and advocate for meaningful inclusion to ensure their children have equitable opportunities to learn, belong, contribute, and build relationships alongside their peers.

Join us to gain practical information, resources, and opportunities to ask questions in a welcoming and supportive environment. This workshop is primarily tailored to families of children with intellectual disabilities but will share approaches and practices that are effective for all learners.

10/07/2026

Inclusion Alberta is pleased by the Government of Alberta’s decision to ensure that couples where both partners receive provincial disability benefits such as AISH or ADAP receive their full benefit entitlement. This move reverses one of the recent changes, the reduction of benefits for couples where both partners receive disability assistance, leaving each person with only 88 per cent of their full benefit entitlement.

This announcement is a positive step. Our hope is that moving forward the government listens and responds to concerns raised by Albertans affected most by these program changes.

Learn more about this change on our website at:

Inclusion Alberta is pleased by the Government of Alberta’s decision to ensure that couples where both partners receive provincial disability benefits such as AISH or ADAP receive their full benefit entitlement. People […]