Four ways to recognize 'International Week of Deaf People'

This week marks the United Nations International Week of Deaf People.  A week to celebrate Deaf identity, culture and rights.  This year’s theme is “No Human Rights Without Sign Language Rights.” It carries a powerful message: true inclusion is not possible unless Deaf people can fully access and use their own languages – sign languages.

1. Sign up for a class! American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf and Hearing, offers Signing Naturally classes here. It is essential to attend classes led by a person who is officially trained in ASL; better yet, when your instructor identifies as part of the Deaf Community, you also get to learn more about Deaf Culture. 

2. Did you know that over 150,000 Albertans struggle with hearing loss? According to Deaf and Hear Alberta's blogger Rosemary, in a September 2, 2025, blog post , a University of Calgary study suggests that hearing loss may be related to one's overall health. Link to the study 

3. Want to test your hearing at home? Try a smartphone app, such as ShoeBox Online, which can help test your hearing. Try it at home using your phone. QR code below. 

4. Celebrate! Deaf and Hear weekly September 23rd post says The World Federation of the Deaf is launching 3 activities to celebrate:

• NEW – Global Deaf Flag Raising in public spaces to celebrate Deaf people and promote the visibility, recognition, and cultural heritage of Deaf communities.
• Global Leaders Challenge inspires global leaders to show their support for Deaf communities by signing a key message in their national sign language.
• Shine a Blue Light on Sign Language invites all public places to be spotlighted in blue light."

And want to be more welcoming to people who are Deaf and hard of hearing? 

Learn more by visiting https://deafandhearalberta.ca/

Many thanks to Deaf and Hear for the excellent information and resources!  

The 2025 Connections fundraising gala is coming up on Saturday, November 1st, 2025

"ADAP vs AISH: A smarter, more efficient path"

After five months of dialogue and review, the Disability Action Hall finds the proposed ADAP design principles risk causing more harm, higher costs, and added red tape. We recommend first passing the Alberta Accessibility Act and strengthening AISH.

We thank the Alberta government for the opportunity to participate in this consultation and look forward to the "What We Heard" report. Please find our submission titled "ADAP vs AISH: A smarter, more efficient path" Plain text version below.

ADAP vs AISH: a smarter more efficient path brief by Disability Action Hall  

ADAP means more bureaucracy, more costs, and more instability.

Fixing AISH is the common-sense, fiscally responsible solution.

ADAP vs. AISH: 
A Smarter, More Efficient Path

1. Strengthen AISH, 
Don’t Replace It with ADAP

• ADAP risks creating harm and instability.
• AISH is already established. 
• — fix what doesn’t work instead of reinventing the wheel.
• Income exemptions reward work and reduce dependence, rather than punishing people for earning more. (On average, it costs $3294* a month to maintain a modest standard of living, where 29% of AISH recipients reside in Calgary. (May 2024)

2. Cut Red Tape, Simplify Access

• Endless costly reapplications waste government resources, medical professionals’ time, and frustrate Albertans.
• Creating another program creates more red tape and delays essential support.
• Maintaining AISH’s stable social assistance rates costs taxpayers less, as evidence shows food bank use strongly predicts future homelessness.**
• Improving AISH means less paperwork, fewer delays, better accountability and tax dollar savings and less strain on an overwhelmed system.

3. Invest Upfront to Save 
on Health & Emergency Costs

• When people fall into poverty, taxpayers foot the bill for ER visits, homelessness programs, and crisis services.
• A stable, livable income prevents higher downstream costs. 
• Strengthening AISH is the fiscally responsible way to protect both vulnerable Albertans and taxpayers, as AISH falls $576 short**** of Calgary’s poverty market basket measure for 2024.

4. Smarter Job Supports,
Not One-Size-Fits-All Programs

• Job programs should connect people to work they can succeed in — not push them into dead-end or unsafe positions.
• Providing job coaches and flexible arrangements helps people become taxpayers, not long-term dependents.
• Alberta economist*** states, “Working with businesses expands access; controlling individuals takes it away.”

In summary...
ADAP creates more harm, increased costs, and red tape.
Fix the system first; pass the Alberta Accessibility Act and strengthen AISH.

www.actionhall.ca 

References for Policy Brief feedback for the ADAP Consultation, September 12^th, 2025

** Losing the Canada Disability Benefit means losing hope for many Albertans, (Survey results and policy recommendations brief), July 2025.

** Food Bank Use and Homelessness, School of Social Public Policy, June 2025.

*** The new Alberta assistance program will it fulfill its promises? G. Petite, August 15, 2025 

**** Statistics Canada, Market Basket Measure for Calgary, May 2025. 

A letter from the Alberta Government about applying for the Disability Tax Credit and the Canada Disability Benefit

As a community partner, we received a letter from the Alberta government, Assisted Living and Social Services South office of AISH, addressed by the Director Ryan Puczko. By sharing this letter,  we hope it helps people find the right resources to apply for the Disability Tax Credit and then for the Canada Disability Benefit. Many organizations also provide disability benefit navigation services. Here is the link to the organizations providing this federal support. 

The AISH office is available to answer questions. 

The 1st letter is for people on straight AISH and the second letter is for people on modified AISH... 

Letter from Ryan Puczko: 

Dear Community Partner,

 

Thank you for supporting vulnerable Albertans.

 

Alberta’s government knows how important financial benefits are to help Albertans meet their basic needs and live independently. We are providing information to improve awareness of how Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) clients can apply for the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) and how it affects their AISH benefits.

 

Please find enclosed two recently mailed letters that provided AISH clients with information on the federal CDB launched on June 20, 2025. The Standard AISH CDB Letter was sent to AISH clients who are living in the community receiving standard living allowance AISH benefits. This letter clarifies that the CDB will be non-exempt income for clients receiving standard AISH and the AISH client’s overall monthly government disability support will remain unchanged when AISH is combined with CDB. The Modified AISH CDB Letter was sent to AISH clients who are residing in a facility (e.g., continuing care home) receiving modified AISH benefits. CDB income will be treated as exempt income for AISH clients who reside in a facility. This means that CDB funds received will be in addition to their monthly benefits.

 

To access the CDB, individuals must have filed their 2024 federal income tax return and be approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). The federal government has committed to reimburse individuals for the cost of the DTC medical assessment. Details of this reimbursement model have not yet been announced. More information will be shared when it becomes available. In the interim, AISH clients are expected to pay the DTC medical fee up front. In cases of financial hardship, clients may request consideration by the AISH program to cover this cost, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Clients who have this cost covered by the AISH program will repay the program upon reimbursement by the federal government.

 

The AISH program requires clients to access all sources of income for which they are eligible, including federal programs. AISH clients who have not communicated the status of their CDB application to their AISH office prior to September 5, 2025, may see an equivalent amount to the CDB benefit, $200, deducted from their monthly AISH benefits, beginning with the October 2025 period of assistance. AISH benefits will not be held or terminated if a client does not communicate the status of their CDB application.

 

If an Albertan needs assistance to apply for and navigate federal disability services, they are encouraged to access the federal government’s disability benefits navigation services. Voice of Albertans with Disabilities is an Alberta organization funded by the federal government to provide direct disability benefit navigation services to persons with disabilities, their families and caregivers.

 

If you have any questions or are seeking further information, please feel free to respond to this email.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ryan Puczko

Director

South Zone, Calgary

Assisted Living and Social Services

Government of Alberta

Attachment 1: Straight AISH

July 4, 2025 

Name 

Address1 

Address2 

City, AB Postal code 

Dear , 

Alberta’s government understands how important financial and health benefits are to help Albertans meet their basic needs and live independently. On June 20, 2025, the federal government launched the new Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), which will provide up to $200 per month for eligible Canadians with disabilities. To access this new federal benefit, individuals must have filed their 2024 federal income tax return and be approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). The federal government has committed to reimburse medical certification costs for the DTC. Additional information about the DTC and how to apply can be found on the federal government’s website at canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/segments/tax-credits-deductions-personsdisabilities/disability-tax-credit. Additional information about the CDB, including eligibility criteria, a benefit estimator and how to apply can be found on the federal government’s website at canada.ca/en/services/benefits/disability/canada-disability-benefit. Income from the new federal CDB will be treated as non-exempt for AISH recipients. This means that, with the addition of the CDB, an AISH client’s overall monthly government disability support will remain unchanged. As a legislated program, AISH will remain fully funded and available to all eligible Albertans. The federal government has stated that the intention of the CDB is to see the combined amount of federal and provincial or territorial income supports for persons with disabilities grow to the level of Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement. This works out to $1,814 per month. Alberta is one of only two provinces to exceed this federal benchmark. The AISH core benefit rate will remain the same at $1,901 per month in 2025—the highest disability support rate of any province in Canada. AISH clients are required to access all sources of income they may be eligible for, including federal programs. Please update your local AISH office to update them about the status of your DTC and CDB applications prior to September 5, 2025. Given the statutory requirement to access all sources of income you may be eligible for, clients who have not communicated the status of their CDB application to their AISH office prior to September 5, 2025, may see an equivalent amount to the CDB benefit, $200, deducted from your monthly AISH benefits, beginning with the October 2025 period of assistance. Sincerely, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped Program

Attachment 2: for Modified AISH 

July 4, 2025 

[First Name] 

[Last Name]

[Job Title] 

[Organization] 

[Address] [Address] [City], [Province] [Postal Code] 

Dear [First Name] [Last Name]: 

Alberta’s government understands how important financial and health benefits are to help Albertans meet their needs and live independently. On June 20, 2025, the federal government launched the new Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), which will provide up to $200 per month for eligible Canadians with disabilities. This letter is intended to clarify information provided to Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) clients in a letter dated April 8, 2025. Please be advised that the CDB will be treated as exempt income for AISH clients who reside in a facility (e.g., a continuing care home) and receive the modified AISH living allowance. As an AISH client who currently resides in a facility, this means that any CDB funds you receive will be in addition to your currently monthly AISH benefits. CDB income received by your spouse or cohabiting partner, if applicable, will be considered as partially exempt income. AISH clients are required to access all sources of income they may be eligible for, including federal programs. To access this new federal benefit, individuals must have filed their 2024 federal income tax return and be approved for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC). The federal government has committed to reimburse medical certification costs for the DTC. Additional information about the DTC and how to apply can be found on the federal government’s website at canada.ca/en/revenueagency/services/tax/individuals/segments/tax-credits-deductions-persons-disabilities/disability-taxcredit. Additional information about the CDB, including eligibility criteria, a benefit estimator and how to apply can be found on the federal government’s website at canada.ca/en/services/benefits/disability/canada-disability-benefit. Please contact your local AISH office with any questions. Sincerely, Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped Program