The Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program received a budget increase last year that was below the rate of population growth and inflation and was not sufficient to serve the growing number of Albertans on the waitlist requiring support from PDD. The Family Supports for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) program received no increase.
Since Budget 2024, Alberta’s unprecedented population growth has added pressure to the PDD and FSCD programs as families move to the province for work. In 2024, more families than ever before contacted Inclusion Alberta for support and advocacy, many of them struggling without services or with insufficient services. The lack of increase to the FSCD budget has meant that parents of children in the critical early years are waiting two to three years after applying before they can access FSCD services to support their child’s communication, behaviour, development and inclusion in community…