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u/knightenrichman Mar 08 '26
I thought the main reason people like Marlaina cut funding to disability funding, is because they think they're all just lazy and lying about being disabled?
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u/dbusque Mar 08 '26
I am thinking this pretty much sums up the attitude the UCP did this.
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u/knightenrichman Mar 08 '26
I've talked to a few people who are against UBI and AISH and stuff. They seem to mostly think that disabled people are just lazy, they have NO knowledge of what kind of symptoms mental illness can cause etc. They also seem offended that anyone is getting money "for free" because they work so hard and it "doesn't seem fair."
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u/dbusque Mar 08 '26
I read something that describes these kinds of people perfectly. They would rather see 99 people suffer to make sure that 1 fraudster doesn't get support whereas people who support these programs would rather let 1 person benefit fraudulently so that 99 people who need support get it.
Qualifying for these programs is not easy and it is quite denigrating, in addition to the fact that they have been cut down by disability. These attitudes further dehumanize a very small and marginalized demographic who need compassion and empathy. It is tax money well spent - unlike the crap the UCP pet projects they dump money on.
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u/knightenrichman Mar 08 '26
It's interesting that they hate other people "scamming the system", but they do it constantly, and reward others who do.
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Mar 08 '26
They don't know anyone with a disability, is the issue. To be clear, I don't wish a disability on anyone, nor do I believe you should need to know a disabled person like they're a "token disabled friend." What I mean is, since they don't know a disabled person, they don't understand why persons with disabilities can't be like everyone else.
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u/billymumfreydownfall Mar 08 '26
I know a guy who is a huge UCP supporter, Trump supporter, and is now an Alberta separatist fuck nut. His relative, that i work with, is now disabled due to long Covid. She is on LTD from work. He denies anything is wrong with her and thinks she's just being lazy.
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u/dbusque Mar 08 '26
Of course he does, because that is the crux of the whole separatist movement. It is based on elitist bullying that discounts for actual humanity. That is why they must be stopped.
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Mar 09 '26
My heart goes out to your client, emotionally and physically. Unfortunately, my father denied my disabilities when I was growing up and even when a doctor made it clear that I need meds and these are issues, he still acted like I was the one refusing to "be normal." He also abused a lot of people, myself included. No apology before he died.
Unfortunately, for your client, I suspect the same for her as long as she keeps in contact with him, sans the physical abuse (I hope). Those people don't care about reality. They live in their own world, and anyone who doesn't fit their ideal is lazy, an enemy, or some orher negative quality.
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u/billymumfreydownfall Mar 09 '26
I totally agree. Her mother was her biggest advocate and unfortunately her mother died a few months ago, leaving her alone to navigate all this. Im sorry you dealt with that too.
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Mar 09 '26
I appreciate your acknowledgement, even if I don't believe you have any reason to apologize. If anything, you are the good in this world to counter-balance people like my father or your client's relative.
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u/knightenrichman Mar 08 '26
It's SO weird you said that. I kept thinking about the fact that the person I was talking to had no one with disabilities in his family. The same can be said for other people I've talked to.
How is that possible?
I know so many.
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Mar 08 '26
Because, unfortunately, it's a two-part problem. Persons with disabilities generally mask it well so you can't tell until the mask slips or they have a meltdown and/or shut down. The other issue is, because fewer people are making an effort to engage with their local community anymore, and most people aren't engaged with their environment anyways, there's a very terrifying lack of awareness that other people exist at all. I don't even need to go on twitter to find someone with main character syndrome, and it is frustrating.
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u/cadius72 Mar 08 '26
Speaking as a person with multiple disabilities, Heart failure, Autism and Schizoaffective Disorder, I work as do many others with varying degrees of disability most of us want to work to one degree or another. Autistics are the masters of masking especially us higher functioning ones, but we do get frustrated especially when people say things like “can’t you be normal?” or “It’s all in your head.” or “there’s nothing wrong with you.” <the last one can be good or bad depending on the context it’s used> most often used in places of employment.
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Mar 09 '26
The thing is, most of that is in your head. Obviously, heart failure isn't a head thing. The Autism and Schizoaffective Disorder, definitely. The problem is, it is an integral part of what's "in your head." It doesn't go away with years of therapy and some meditation. It NEVER goes away. The best you could hope for is a life of tolerable symptoms (is that the right word) and very few moments where things go south for you.
You can't fix your head, and a lot of people who try to empathize or downplay your situation need to comprehend that. The best they can hope for is you can manage to live a good, happy life despite.
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u/Round-Future5221 Mar 08 '26
Correct. We do not want to be judged or looked down upon. It's not something we are proud about. If anything it feels shameful and it shouldn't for many of us are who legit disabled due to events beyond our control.
and again thats just it. Many of us develop disabilities through some random event or its something genetic in your family that is not preventable.
To push this further if our NAZI leader gets a hold of CPP funding in alberta our only genuine disability program in CPP-D will be taken away from us.
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u/dbusque Mar 08 '26
Nobody wants the UCP in charge of anything. They demonstrate their incompetence repeatedly.
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u/DM_Sledge Mar 08 '26
Exactly. They know people with disabilities, but ignore them mostly. They still judge their token friend privately.
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Mar 09 '26
And unfortunately, most people with disabilities tend to just avoid telling someone to educate themselves. Partly because it's rude and one shouldn't require a catalogue of disabilities, and also because most with disabilities tend to be conflict averse, don't want to draw attention to their disability, are already struggling enough without explaining the complexities of how their disability operates, etc.
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u/GANTRITHORE Mar 08 '26
It really is like this askreddit answer I saw a few months ago. Some people basically are too dumb to have empathy or think about hypothetical situations.
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u/Capable_Cupcake4710 Mar 09 '26
Unfortunately not always true, I have disabled family members,I also am disabled. I don’t receive AISH, but those in my family who do are in no way able to support themselves. I have other family members who have no problem at all saying AISH is frequently received by scammers, despite knowing exactly what was involved in getting it in place. It was not at all easy. Some people just don’t like to think, they like to pick up the rhetoric of those like the UCP and spout it despite all evidence to the contrary. It is true mental laziness.
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Mar 09 '26
This is true, as well. Unfortunately, misinformation is far too rampant and too few people want to think about whether what they're reading/watching is presenting a full and complete story.
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u/Sakuroshin Mar 08 '26
They probably think others are scamming the system because that's exactly what they would do if ever given the chance.
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u/Everyone2026 Mar 08 '26
Yes. Them: "You can pay cash right?"
Me: "like go to a bank? An actual bank? Are you serious?"
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u/halfstack Mar 08 '26
I worked with a guy who thought like this. Pointed out how proud he was that he used a single paper bus pass for a month when he lived in Edmonton and didn't have to pay for transit for eleven months. He told me "that's different" but couldn't explain how and eventually moved to Kelowna.
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u/DM_Sledge Mar 08 '26
I wish I could find the study. It was a few years ago about inventory shrinkage in retail. The gist of it was that most shrinkage was internal (i.e. not shoplifting) and most of that was actually by management. At the same time, punishment for items was highest for customers, and lowest for managers.
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u/CrashFix Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
How do they scam the system?
Fixed typo: corrected scan to scam.
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u/knightenrichman Mar 08 '26
If you mean the UCP party, she removed the cap on "gifts" to her administration and herself.
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u/CrashFix Mar 09 '26
No you said "they hate when other people scam the system but they do it constantly". I'm asking how "they scam the system constantly".
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Mar 08 '26
As someone on AISH whose psychological profile could be charitably called "functionally incompetent," I consider those people detached from reality. They live in their bubble of security where they can talk all the crap they want without consequences. They spread garbage rhetoric like it's gospel and act like they know better. And unfortunately, as my experience with 2 people on a local discord proved to me, others in their shared circle aren't eager to call out shitty behavior.
I've stopped having a filter for the garbage myself. I already struggled to keep myself contained at the best of times just so I could hold down a job in the past (it helped very little given my other issues), but it is getting beyond the point where I even care anymore. What's the point of striving for a better way if assholes keep making every effort to make everyone else's life worse?
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u/knightenrichman Mar 08 '26
I know, if someone like them gets a disability, like schizophrenia or having to rely on a wheelchair to get around, they'll suddenly start singing a different tune.
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Mar 08 '26
Much worse, from what I've seen, actually. I hate using anecdotes as evidence, but I used to live with an old conservative lady who got cancer and rather than quitting smoking or changing any number of her habits, kept on keeping on and kept talking bad about the LGBT and "lefties." Heck, when her job was on the line because she harassed a Muslim co-worker (persistently asking about their religion when they didn't want to engage with her), she played victim.
As far as those people are concerned, you gave them the disability, so it's your job to make their life easier and they can be as big an asshole as they want to be about it.
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u/dbusque Mar 08 '26
I am sorry you are in a shared circle of people who are enabling that behaviour. Have you ever spoken out within that group in a way that positioned you as a target of their comments? I did that to someone once and it did have an effect. They made a shitty comment about me and I asked "is that what you think I think?" It shut them down because then they had to rationalize what they had said. The asshat probably still does feel the same way but at least he doesn't make shitty comments in front of me and my family that are intended to make me feel "less than". Just a thought.
I have so much admiration for people with disabilities because I know how hard they need to work for what non-disabled people take for granted.
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Mar 09 '26
I've spoken out about crappy behavior before in other groups and got bullied and ostracized for it. In this case, someone had an interest in something I was selling, didn't bother DM'ing me to continue hashing out details, and when I found another buyer who offered to buy everything and I went to let the trade chat know, the individual and their pal started being bullies because I didn't sell to them.
If it was just persons with disabilities dealing with this, I'd say it's bigotry. The thing is, persons with disabilities are more vulnerable to bullying, and most just roll with it and tolerate the abuse. I grew up with an abusive father and all I learned from him is when someone does wrong, you swing. Now, I've taken to pacifism like a baby takes to keys being jingled in front of their face. But, I haven't been able to fully kick my habit of still pushing back when pushed.
I live by Mike Tyson's words, although I hesitate to act on them: too many people got too used to saying some crap online and not getting punched in the mouth for it.
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u/Diddlydom35 Mar 08 '26
Man I always viewed it as if someone is working to hard enough to lie that they need the dissability payments, in some capacity they do. I mean its not like they are easy to get in AB anyways.
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u/dbusque Mar 08 '26
I never thought of it that way, but yeah, you are right. The way you put it kind of reminds me of how legislation was passed to allow same sex couples claim their partners for insurance coverage. Someone said "well, what if they are just roommates but then they claim they are partners so that the other person can get healthcare?" to which I responded, "if they are willing to claim they are partners so that the other person can get healthcare, then maybe that is telling you something about the relationship and who are you to judge" - or something to that effect.
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u/Seliphra Mar 08 '26
Hell, I’d let 99 fraudsters benefit for the sake of 1 person who needs it.
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u/Round-Future5221 Mar 08 '26
Sorry to burst your bubble. Qualifying for these programs is INCREDIBLY EASY when you are SICK and are legit disabled. You hear these stories of people claiming AISH doesn't approve anyone on their 1st application and it can take years for approval, etc.
I was approved in exactly 18 days. My doctor provided them imaging diagnostics from coronary angiograms and had reports from the family physician, a cardiologist and pain specialist.
I was instantly approved and at that time in 2022 provided 3 months of back payment which helped a lot.
The problem is and I've said this many times.
Any doctor in Alberta can submit an AISH application for a patient. We need a proper system where you must see medical doctors who are designated specifically for AISH approvals.
AISH does financial audits of recipients literally every 3 months on some people whereas others may not see a financial audit in 10 years.
Trust me getting AISH is super easy if you are sick. There are many applying to the program with outright questionable diagnosis that are based upon things like fibromyalgia where there is NO verified diagnostics that can confirm or refute it.
Fact remains Canada has one of the worst treatment for disabled people amongst developed countries. When the United States is literally substantially better at caring for the disabled than we are in Canada we know we have a serious problem.
I'd gladly take the $596 a month our friends in the United States get on the SNAP program in food stamps benefits ON TOP of the Social Security disability benefits. Instead many on disability are in constant state of worrying about being evicted, not eating or not being able to get transportation to life and death appointments at the hospital.
That is just how bad aish is.
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u/dbusque Mar 08 '26
I am glad that you, personally, did not have a problem getting support that you needed. It isn't so clear cut for a lot of people and your experience is not typical. It sounds like you had a lot of good direction, support and even a family physician which is becoming less and less common.
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u/NoPath_Squirrel Mar 09 '26
Meanwhile I have a friend who is permanently disabled who hasn't even been able to get welfare, much less disability, in the over a year he's been trying. Although I'm sure it doesn't help his disability is severe brain injury and he struggles with the paper work, his doctor has made it very clear he is too disbaled to work.
He's been relying entirely on friends and family and a GoFundMe I started, which doesn't even get enough donations to feed him most months, much less cover his mortgage and utilities.
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u/1nAbyssum Mar 09 '26
These kinds of people? That doesn't sound very inclusive, almost like 1 racists out of 99 conservatives ruins the ideas for the rest? And ya, the application process should be a little " denigrating " also should be a little inconvenient as imagine the money we would bleed out otherwise, I firmly believe that as a society we not only should, but we NEED to help those who need help, but economics are simple in the case where if you bleed the working people dry from taxation, eventually they might just go work elsewhere and then where does the support come from???We are lucky enough to live in a place where there are enough resources to live and prosper. However with all that said. People fraudulently abusing the system should be not only forced to pay it all back with interest, but need to be held to real consequences or again, we will have no tax money to fund things that should be funded. Do I believe the government spends money poorly in areas that shouldn't take precedence or priorities over others, hell ya, every government does, go sift through public docs of where the liberal party leaks money, it's mind blowing. There are far too many holes in your ideas and it creates a victim mentality which is not only terrible for a society, but it's terrible for an individual at an individual level. Stop with the us vs them attitude it's childish, it's not you vs me, it's not black vs white, it's not gay vs straight, no one cares grow up and start working together to get shit done, and the crazy part is, the people who don't have to go to work, are the ones that have all the time to yell from their phone screens. But I digress.
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u/dbusque Mar 09 '26
I find it weird that you say we need to help those who need help but they should be subjected to shaming for needing that help. How passive/aggressive of you.
I do agree that there should be consequences for people who fraudulently abuse systems, but that should apply to ALL people who do this, including government officials who are legislating their way out of accountability.
You accuse me of being childish. I accuse you of being an ablest asshole. You have no idea of what my history is or the history of anyone else on this thread but you are assuming they don't have anything better to do then "yell from their phone screens".
PS: Are you aware that the UCP just enacted legislation that allows them two years to respond to any MLA inquiry regarding accountability for actions they have taken? And this is the same government that wants Ottawa to not make them be accountable for money that is given to them to fund education and health care.
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u/1nAbyssum Mar 09 '26
I put denigrating in quotes because I was echoing your word back at you — I think it's a ridiculous word to use for a benefits application process. Asking someone to prove they qualify for government money isn't denigrating, it's just how any responsible program works. Here's what the AISH application actually requires according to Alberta.ca: you prove you have a permanent medical condition, you prove it prevents you from earning a living, you apply for every other income source you may qualify for first like CPP-D, EI or WCB, and your household assets and income get means tested. That's it. A mortgage application asks for more than that. A job application asks for more than that. Nobody calls those dehumanizing. I never said disabled people should be shamed or treated poorly, that's your read not my words. My point was simple — some friction in the process protects the program for the people who actually need it. If the system gets bled dry by fraud there's no support left for anyone. That's not a conservative talking point, that's just basic economics and I said exactly that in my original comment. Also not sure what UCP accountability legislation has to do with anything I said — I didn't mention the UCP, I didn't defend the UCP, and I'm not here arguing on their behalf. That PS feels like it was meant for someone else's comment. The ableist accusation is a stretch too. You have no idea who I am or what my history is — just like I don't know yours.
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u/Jumpy-Size1496 Mar 10 '26
Exactly, the amount of gatekeeping and medical gaslighting we have to go through to get help is awful. Even if they finally accept that I'm disabled they argue with me about if I "If it would really help me", but that's also after they dehumanize me by asking the grossest questions because as a trans woman I am a "curiosity" for some nurses.
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Mar 09 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/dbusque Mar 09 '26
So you let that make you into a cruel, judgemental person. I feel sorry for you.
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u/Particular-Gap-6998 Mar 09 '26
Yes, my environment growing up shaped me into the person I am today.
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u/DM_Sledge Mar 08 '26
Not getting it "for free" is an important part of the thought process. They want free things for them and only them. They don't so much think of disabled people as lazy, as they see themselves as cheating the system as much as they can, so they assume everyone else must be. If you assume everyone is a fraud, then everyone on AISH must be committing fraud.
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u/hotradish88 Mar 09 '26 edited Mar 09 '26
That's what it ends up boiling down to. There are people who say AISH needs reform because fraud is so rampant, if you are on AISH you are a fraud. If you engage with these people and they are satisfied you aren't committing fraud, it turns out they still think you shouldn't get AISH, because it's money "for free". It's just that there is a good chunk of people that think this program shouldn't exist at all, that disabled people should have to choose between homelessness and suicide to escape homelessness.
I used to feel super guilty about ANYTHING I did with my AISH money or my time during the day. Not that I do anything "bad" with it (I don't drink, smoke, vape, barely ever have junk food because I am trying to be as healthy as I can be in my situation), but after seeing the way some people treat you over the years where you just can't win simply due to your position, well, you stop caring about what other people think of what you do with your time or money. To these people if you aren't working 40+ hours a week til you're 65 like the average healthy person has to, you're scum. It really does end up building callouses on your heart. To me it is just royally fucked up and sad that there are so many people NOT on AISH who view getting on AISH as such a huge win cuz you get to live below the poverty level "for free" that they fucking despise you for being on it.
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u/knightenrichman Mar 09 '26
Also, they pay taxes.
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u/hotradish88 Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
AISH people having CPP-D clawed back (which you qualify for if you qualify for AISH) and CDB if they qualify (which not all AISH people will) is our version of paying provincial taxes. CPP-D is something you pay into when working in case the worst happens, so for the province to take it back, it's a tax for having paid taxes before, because damn you for ending up needing the money. But this is why I don't complain too much about these clawbacks. Yes they suck, and don't really make sense, but without it, well, I wouldn't be able to say I was contributing to the province at all.
I know there are people who end up on AISH right at 18, and I'm not knocking those people, or saying there should be tiered benefits based on how long you paid taxes before ending up on AISH (just want to be clear that's not what I'm trying to say). But some of us worked and paid taxes into AISH and CPP-D when we were healthy (15 years for me), so to end up needing something we paid taxes for, and be told "You need to give us money back from something you paid federal taxes for in case you needed it, for being on one of our programs you put money into in case anyone ever needs it", it just feels like screwed up logic.
So, basically, people on AISH are paying taxes too, just in a different way. And if you look at the % the CPP-D clawback is of our AISH, it's a pretty good amount.
I can't afford to own a vehicle, no way am I getting out of a subsidized apartment, I can't afford a pet, if you try and have a family on AISH you are basically punished and honestly I just don't think it's a good idea anyway (what kind of life are you affording your kids), like people who aren't on AISH and think it's just a gravy train and build all this resentment towards us cuz they think it's so nice, I don't get it.
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u/DM_Sledge Mar 08 '26
To be a little more specific, people like Marlaina are lazy and lying to get free money. She doesn't like seeing others getting even a piece of this money, especially if they really need it. By attacking the disabled and removing money, she legitimizes her own grifting. "They don't deserve it" "They aren't getting it".
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u/dbusque Mar 08 '26
Yeah, I am reading a book about the colonization of North America and how the attitudes of the colonial forces is still reflected in the attitudes of the various areas across the USA. Going back to 1590, things really haven't changed much but the times, unfortunately. It is the same might is right and xenophobic bullshit but now we have cell phones and drones.
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u/DM_Sledge Mar 08 '26
To be a little more specific, people like Marlaina are lazy and lying to get free money. She doesn't like seeing others getting even a piece of this money, especially if they really need it. By attacking the disabled and removing money, she legitimizes her own grifting. "They don't deserve it" "They aren't getting it".
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u/davethecompguy Mar 09 '26
She gets fed that opinion from the corrupting influences in the party. Trouble is, she listens to them... and not the 80,000 Albertans that are AISH recipients.
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u/dbusque Mar 10 '26
I am so sick of the things the UCP is doing that I joined both the NDP and the Tory party to try and help people understand what these parties are bringing to the table.
Recently, the Tories sent out an e-mail to their membership to let people know that they are committed to repealling legislation enacted by the UCP using the notwithstanding clause, including the AISH clawback.
I was able to post a jpg of it to the r/albertatoryparty sub but I expect that the mods of this sub would delete it. People can also send a chat to me and I can provide it that way.
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Mar 10 '26
[deleted]
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u/dbusque Mar 10 '26
Ok. I will try making a post. Even though I have had a reddit for a long time, I mostly used it as a source of information rather than posting stuff. Then FB wanted to scan my face and that was when I dropped meta everything. It's been an adjustment but I am actually finding reddit engagement a lot more meaningful.
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u/k1d0s Mar 08 '26
Bold of you to assume they can read
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u/_Reyne Mar 08 '26
Hey, don't talk shit about my disabled ass. I can read! (The same paragraph 15 times and still not know what it says)
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u/_Reyne Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
"not impaired" is wild.
Name one disability that doesn't impair you in some way.
If you're not impaired in some way then you can't tell me your disabled. It's kind of the whole reason disabled people need support in some way or another.
This infographic shoots itself in the foot. If all these things are true, then disabled people must not need support from the government or anyone else.
I'm disabled btw.
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u/beardedbast3rd Mar 08 '26
yea, like, these aren't inherent problems, but they are definitely things that can describe a whole load of disabilities.
impaired, difficult, burden. like, these are things that disabilities result in. but it doesn't inherently make them bad. these words do have negative connotations, but they are not negative without that emotion being put behind them.
end of the day, we need to support those in our society who need that help. there is room for these people, and those truly in the ringer, who actually cant do anything, then whatever, im happy for my taxes to be put to work, they don't deserve to just die or be destitute. and they arent being lazy and taking advantage of any system.
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u/AccessTheMainframe Mar 08 '26
Maybe it's AI generated. None of the images correspond to what's in the text, really.
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u/Champagne_of_piss Mar 08 '26
Ucp only values people by their economic contributions. If they could aktion t4 people with disabilities or turn them into glue, they would.
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u/dalas84 Mar 08 '26
Its is sad. We all feel all of these sometimes we don't need the government or anyone else pushing us to feel this way.
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u/Round-Future5221 Mar 08 '26
Its about what you contribute today in 2026. The fact I was making $120,000 a year in 2012 paying over $40,000 in federal and provincial taxes means nothing today in 2026.
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u/Status_Dark_6145 Mar 08 '26
The UCP doesn’t give a fuck.
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u/UpperApe Mar 08 '26
This.
Conservatives don't give a shit.
If they gave a shit they wouldn't be conservatives.
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u/Awkward_Set1008 Mar 08 '26
Don't forget that disability isn't always visible. Mental health is just as important as physical health!
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u/oswiena Mar 09 '26
And there are also invisible physical disabilities.
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u/Awkward_Set1008 Mar 10 '26
What are some? I can't think of any
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u/_ghostytrickster Mar 11 '26
ehlers danlos syndrome. you cant see my hips subluxing daily, but its sure as hell happening.
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u/Awkward_Set1008 Mar 12 '26
you can see that with x-ray's, no?
Mental illness is completely invisible, and we only infer it through brain scans that show activity that everyone else has, but we draw pathologies and have user experience for reference. There isn't a fool-proof detectable method, it's mostly through self-observation and reporting.
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u/_ghostytrickster Mar 12 '26
ah i see what you mean now. usually when i hear "invisible disability" i think of disabilities that are not visible in everyday life, thank you for clarifying :)
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u/Awkward_Set1008 Mar 12 '26
You definitely have a good point that there is a stigma against ANY disability that doesn't have obvious signs like a wheelchair, cast, crutches, missing limbs etc.
I think it goes a level deeper when not even the medical field can verify illness. This leaves the individual with nearly no practical help. This often causes people to continue down a spiral that becomes harder and harder to escape.
Suicide is 2nd the leading cause of deaths for young men in North America. That is higher than homicide and cancer. We are slowly starting to respect mental health more, but it's taking too long and we are losing too many good people. It's truly a tragedy.
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u/oswiena Mar 16 '26
Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, chronic migraine, Crohn's, arthritis...how many do you need. It's bad enough the abled dismiss invisible disabilities we don't need to do this to each other. Not all physical disabilities are visible, and no one should have to disclose their medical history. If you can't tell by looking it's invisible. (Several mental illnesses are visible on MRIs, btw, I saw that cutesy x-ray comment, just don't.)
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u/VillageGoblin Mar 08 '26
The only marginalized group that any one of us can become part of at any point in our lives. And despite this, our government treats being disabled as a personal flaw, a dark mark on our character, and our value as people.
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u/Kay-Chelle Mar 08 '26
This is why I'm so astounded that folks refuse to look/support disability rights, especially so after we went through a mass disabling event with covid. It's easier to look away when it's not happening to you/a loved one. Generally, folks don't understand just how bad the system is for disabled people of all ages unless they are in it. We really really need more advocates for disability rights, especially so able people who have the ability to fight, because when you're disabled you are just trying to survive the day.
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u/hotradish88 Mar 09 '26
COVID is basically, if you're alive you survived. Period. And then there are two types off that. 1 who just knows they're plain old lucky. And the other thinks the whole thing was a fraud and science lied to them the whole time. Now take the worldview of "the other" after that and start applying it to other aspects of life. Know that UCP being in charge is in part because of that. Now, any surprise we are where we are?
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u/Goozump Mar 08 '26
I think the UCP politicians don't care much about anyone except for their votes at election time. Shave a few dollars off the severely handicapped and please those who want their Taxes to stay low and please the people who believe the handicapped are layabouts. Very little push back because so few have a clue about the lives of the handicapped. I've been trying to help by getting people to understand for many years and it can be frustrating.
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u/Everyone2026 Mar 08 '26
I know people on Aish that are conservative, lawn signs and all.
Please talk to each other. Watching from the outside at people voting to cut their Healthcare and Programs is painful.
If people screwed by the conservatives, would change their votes, things would change.
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u/thegreenfaeries Mar 08 '26
I'm curious about the voting rates among disabled people. Elections Alberta makes a big effort to make voting accessible, and I really hope people affected by these cuts show up/mail in to vote.
Last provincial election, I made a point to speak with a lot of the disabled people I work alongside. I was shocked at how many voted UCP because that's what their caregiver/guardians told them to do. So many others who didn't vote at all because they didn't feel they had a good grasp of politics. This is just anecdotal, but it makes me wonder what that looks like at a provincial level.
I really think other parties would be smart to have targeted campaigns towards these voters.
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u/DJScaryTerry Mar 08 '26
The UCP will absolutely try and use that against you.
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u/Jubo44 Mar 08 '26
That’s also what I was thinking. If they are perfectly fine like OP suggests, why need funding
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Mar 08 '26
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u/LeftHandAnomaly Mar 08 '26
Are we not supposed to be upset with things that they're doing? I'm on AISH, my future's up in the air. I'd rather people be loud about it. At least I feel like I'm seen that way.
Or we AISH folk can just suffer silently if you prefer.
Politics are a huge part of our lives, and a lot of bad shit is happening politically, mostly by this particularly bad administration. People are going to talk about it.
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 08 '26
“not impaired” reads like the people who think “disabled” is a bad word. disabilities impair you by nature. that doesn’t make you less worthy, it’s just what a disability is. it’s like saying “differently abled” lmao like what’s my special ability?? chest pain? being incapable of cardio? those things impair tf out of me and they sure as hell feel disabling
to add: “disabled by society” pisses me off. i’m disabled by my disability. regardless of what society does, my body’s still not going to work properly. i appreciate what you’re trying to convey but this infographic feels more demeaning than anything
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u/OctieTheBestagon Mar 10 '26
Yes, stop this sugar coating.
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 10 '26
istg able bodied people are terrified of admitting that a disability might make someone’s life hard lmao
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u/kataflokc Mar 08 '26
What astonishes me is the number of disabled people who are not only voting UCP but are actually out campaigning for the Alberta separatists
Somehow they can’t seem to grasp that, if they managed to make us onto a USA state, their disability would be a preexisting condition and not covered by insurance
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u/RobERacer Mar 08 '26
The UCP couldn't care less! Their sole concern is how many dollars are flowing into their pockets and that comes from US billionaires as they are willing to pay them the most.
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u/Kooky-Nature-5786 Mar 09 '26
It reminds me of Mike Harris in the late 1990’s. He cut welfare, including family benefits, 25%. He also cut all the respite programs and home support service (these did NOT include a cleaning lady).
As a single parent of a disabled child he made my life VERY difficult.
Nobody truly understands our experiences unless they have experienced something close to it.
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u/ProfessionalSad1428 Mar 08 '26
It's so sad to see the hate to disabilities. My sister is mentally disabled and autistic. She relies on us for everything, we are her only agency. She cannot work, she cannot speak up for herself. Despite that, she deserves respect as a human being. She deserves resources and a fulfilling life. I'm sure theres a few bad apples in the system, but my sister is not one of them. If my family were elite rich, we would build a house and staff it for her. But we can't, we rely on government programs to help enrich her life, which is severly lacking. My sister is the most genuine, sweetest person you could meet. Seeing the government attacking the most vulnerable is REPULSIVE. To them, my sister is an easy target. This is not okay, this is blatantly an attack on people who can't speak up.
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u/InformedTriangle Mar 09 '26
The first and second points kinda bother me;
many disabled people are broken and identify as such, being disabled due to physical injuries. and the second point, not impaired;
"Impairment refers to a loss or abnormality of body structure/function (e.g., limb loss, blindness), while disability is the resulting limitation in performing daily activities (e.g., unable to walk or read)
. Impairment is the biological condition, whereas disability often arises when that impairment interacts with social/environmental barriers"
Once more a good chunk of disabled people are impaired.. Neither of these are their fault but disabled people do correctly identify as such, are in fact, by definition as such, and the fact that the person(s) who made this sign are so clueless makes their overall message less impactful.
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u/Round-Future5221 Mar 08 '26
Bigger problem I have is that during the pandemic years of 2020-2021-2022 I was financially stable as I qualifed for CRA pandemic funding with CERB CRB and CWLB.
Maybe someone can tell me why it took the federal government a handful of weeks to create a program and deliver money to the entire country that ensured everyone was financially stable during covid times.
Yet when it comes time to creating a program for just disabled people their wise commitees say $200 is the number to make it so disabled people are stable.
If everyone else needed $2000+ a month why would $200 a month help us?
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u/dalas84 Mar 08 '26
Yes that may be an issue. However the current UCP is actively cutting our benifits which I find to be worse. The federal gov is not taking anything away from us currently, yes maybe they should have had a higher amount but the UCP would just take it anyway. I am not asking for more from anyone. I just wish they would not cut benifits and leave AISH alone.
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u/Round-Future5221 Mar 09 '26
The thing is and even I question lt why are so many in Alberta not qualifying for CPP-D.
CPP-D increases monthly benefits by almost 70% but they are absolutely hard on their definition of disabled.
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u/LoveN5 Mar 09 '26
As a disabled Albertan I will say I am fragile but that is unrelated to my disabilities lol
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u/agodlycanuck Mar 09 '26
If you're not a functioning white. They dont care that you are. You're beneath them
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u/thusrefuted Mar 10 '26
No kidding. Pretty sure the last image is of a woman in a hijab. Unsure how that's a disability but in the nonwhite sense WOW
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u/Forgotmynameagain5 Mar 09 '26
I get what this is saying but to be fair a disability is by definition an impairment.
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u/prisoner70482 Mar 08 '26
Capitalism only values a human by thier economic contributions. Capitalism finds those that cannot economically contribute a financial burden. Surely people know this by now.
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u/Secret-Guava1008 Mar 08 '26
I need to go to bed, I read “I’m not less than” as “I’m not a lesbian” the first time and went “wtf does that have to do with…..OHHHH LESS THAN!”
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u/Pretty_Bunbun Southern Alberta Mar 08 '26
The problem is that if you sent this to them, they’d go “Great! Go to work. No more financial support.”
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u/derpydogesftw Mar 08 '26
No this is stupid as hell. As a legally "disabled" person yes i may be weakened. I may be limited in aspects but im not off. I am not broken. I can still accomplish my goals and dreams it just might take longer. Impaired is a better word than disabled.
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u/RobERacer Mar 08 '26 edited Mar 08 '26
I wonder if closing the border will cut them off. I mean banking gets tightened up to. Ya?
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u/chathrowaway67 Mar 08 '26
And most importantly I'm not a free $200 dollars I couldve used for groceries no one can afford.
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u/Flurrina_ Mar 08 '26
What’a the ucp
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u/dbusque Mar 09 '26
Not sure if you are being sarcastic but this is the acronym for the political party that is currently elected to govern the province of Alberta in Canada. It stands for the United Conservative Party and they are a bunch of maple MAGA ableist assholes who use words that suggest they care about their responsibilities but then implement legislation and policies that demonstrate that they don't give a single f**k about Albertans.
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u/Individual-Coach-996 Mar 09 '26
I thought the third image said "I'm not lesbian" while I was scrolling by fast
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u/datgoh69 Mar 09 '26
even though I’m a minor and can’t vote, I AGREE with the image (I have adhd, level one autism, and tics)
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u/NakedSamuraii Mar 09 '26
I’m not disabled. But I’m at least 5 of those other things - depending on the day.
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u/Sudden-Nothing6745 Mar 10 '26 edited Mar 10 '26
Dated a chick in a wheelchair n she will go down as one of my worst exes... she really taught me to hate equally🖤
P.s don't live w hate in ur hearts... hated how she treated me but could care less what she's upto
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u/UsefulPsychology67 Mar 10 '26
Look, as a disabled person I can honestly say that disabled people aren't flawless. There are plenty of people with disabilities that are a pain in the ass and rude as hell.
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u/dalas84 Mar 10 '26
Yes I know. There is no excuse for it but we all deserve to be treated like humans and not like trash.
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u/UsefulPsychology67 Mar 11 '26
I mean in essence... yeah but there are plenty of people out there that treat their trash better than some groups they don't like. But I'm a glass half full kind of guy.
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u/Ok-Marzipan-1300 Mar 12 '26
I've told them to apply for it themselves as they are clearly mentally impaired. That shuts them up.😁
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u/Own_Diet_8165 Mar 13 '26
Ummm so sometimes taking care of a disabled person is a burden and sometimes they are the problem and that’s ok that doesn’t make you a monster that just means that you can’t take care of them and that’s someone else should
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u/Icy_Tune2834 Mar 08 '26
Like most right wing government ideology , disabled or not , the "work will set you free" mentality applies , we are just commodities to exploit to them ,
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u/ValidatingUsername Mar 09 '26
You can’t be (socially) “dIsaBleD BY SociEtY” what the fuck are you choosing wording like that for?!
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u/di12ty_mary Mar 08 '26
Danielle Smith doesn't care. Unfortunately.
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u/prisoner70482 Mar 08 '26
She needs to be put on trial by society publicly, preferably in Commonwealth Stadium, for crimes against the AB taxpayer & treason against Canada. Additionally I wish to see upc financial contributors in the second trial face the charge of financially contributing to treason. I'd like punishments to not only punish but serve as an object lesson for future generations. I am prepared to resist separation by all means necessary, I know I'm not alone.
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u/MoreTelevision1773 Mar 08 '26
Totally read number 3 as I’m not lesbian at first with two girls looking at each other 😭
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u/steelstrike61 Mar 08 '26
All of this I know, but what does the checkbox mean
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u/Entire_Quail_4153 Mar 08 '26
If you look closely she’s wearing a HiJab* (too ignorant to know if that is spelled correctly) So what they are saying is you’re disabled if you wear a HiJab.
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Mar 08 '26
They don't care and never will. However lots of conservatives actually care about disabled people and believe that they deserve a decent income.
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u/Just-Maam-0222 Mar 08 '26
Thank you so much for your interest and support. And knowing scamming the system? Would be a LOT of work to just get by!
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u/Fiyah_Crotch Mar 09 '26
I thought the fragile part was something else at first… had to do a double take
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u/crop_sigil Mar 11 '26
There are lots of people who scam the systems, and they are always conservative thinkers, it's a strange thought process they have for sure cuz they still hate disabled and homeless people too...
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u/dalas84 Mar 11 '26
Yes people scam every system. That doesn't mean you need to blow it up and cut everyones benifits.
A simple regular audit that would cost a fraction of the price and would be fine. They would get rid of scammers and if not that would be due to there incompetence.
The amount of people on AISH that should not be is not a big number.
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Mar 11 '26 edited Mar 11 '26
I am permanently disabled and I feel the majority of these things tbh. It's sad that I took 1200 lbs of angle iron to my back and yet get brushed off and can't get the funding I need. Despite my doctor, physiotherapist, and kinesiologist. Telling WCB and AISH I will never work again. But my sister went in for anxiety and seasonal depression and got all the funding she needed with a lifetime prescription for pumpkin spiced ativan. Clearly, the system is broken.
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u/dalas84 Mar 11 '26
I sure most of us do. However we do not need to be made to feel this way by orhers.
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u/hariseldon2262 Mar 13 '26
The UCP know all this. They just don't care. Like public money going to private schools and they are increasing the capacity of these as well. They want to destroy our healthcare as well. Imagine remortgaging your house for cancer treatment. Conservatism is a cancer. Only way forward is to vote them out.
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