Stand With BC Families for Fair Autism & Disability Funding

Around 30,000 children and youth with Autism in British Columbia are set to see reduced or no direct funding under the BC government's new Children and Youth Disability Benefit (CYDB), which replaces Autism Funding and School-Aged Extended Therapies as of March 31, 2027.

This isn't only about Autism. The new eligibility framework may also affect children and youth living with other disabilities whose support needs do not fit neatly within the Ministry's criteria. We are asking legal counsel to look at the full picture across the disability community. The lawyers will be the ones to investigate, advise, and help determine where the strongest concerns lie.

We are a grassroots coalition of BC families raising funds to formally explore a legal challenge to this policy. We've engaged Arvay Finlay LLP, the firm that prepared the foundational 2022 legal opinion on BC's proposed disability funding changes. They will begin work for $8,000 and estimate $15,000 to fully scope the case. Any funds raised beyond this goal will be held to support continued advocacy and legal action for BC children and youth with disabilities.

What's Happening:

On June 10, 2026, the Ministry of Children and Family Development published the eligibility criteria for the new Disability Benefit, including new qualifying terminology that had not appeared in earlier government communications. This newly released eligibility criteria sets the qualifying bar incredibly high.

Many children with Autism, including those with significant support needs in communication, executive function, sensory regulation, mental health, and daily living, may not qualify automatically.

For thousands of BC families, this means losing the individualized supports their children rely on. These supports have been the backbone of Autism services in BC for over two decades.

Disability advocates are now also worried children and youth with other disabilities, who thought they would be included in this new funding model, may actually be excluded from the CYDB.

To qualify automatically, a child or youth with a disability must meet specific thresholds tied to the most significant and complex presentations of disability. Children who do not meet those thresholds must move through a separate review process with no guaranteed outcome.

We support expanding services to more children with disabilities. But one of the central questions we are asking legal counsel to investigate is whether this is genuinely an expansion — or a reallocation that takes funding from some children to give to others.

Why Explore a Legal Opinion Now:

The Ministry's own criteria show the problem. To qualify for the Benefit, families must demonstrate that their child requires "intensive and sustained support across their lifespan, including possible lifelong caregiving or supervised living."

This is an alarmingly high threshold. It risks excluding many children and youth, including:

The Disability Supplement adds another barrier. The Supplement is income-tested and requires qualifying for the federal Disability Tax Credit (DTC). The DTC is not a guaranteed approval for Autistic children or children with other disabilities.

Families also face the cost of a medical professional to complete the DTC certification forms — a service that can cost hundreds of dollars and is not equally accessible to families in rural, remote, or low-income communities.

The Supplement's income thresholds appear set well below the cost of raising a child with a disability in British Columbia. Many low and middle income families may see reduced support even when their child qualifies for the DTC.

Community-based services are not yet ready to fill the gap. The Ministry is directing families toward "community-based services" as an alternative, but those services are not expected to be fully operational province-wide until well after Autism Funding ends in March 2027. In many regions, including rural, remote, and northern BC, the services do not yet exist at all.

The framework risks forcing families to prove their child is "disabled enough" before help becomes available. Eligibility reviews are beginning now. Decisions are expected in the months ahead.

This is why we are acting now.

Where Your Money Goes

Any money raised beyond the above expenses will be held for continued advocacy and legal action.

To add extra protections and legitimacy, we are in the process of forming a registered non-profit, Fair Autism & Disability BC Society, under the BC Societies Act. Until the Society is incorporated, donations will be held by our lead organizer in a dedicated account held in trust for the Society, governed by a written trust agreement. Once the Society is established, all funds will be transferred to it. Records will be available to donors on request.

How You Can Help

We know this is a difficult and uncertain time for many families. You are not alone.

Thank you for standing with BC families.

— Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC

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This campaign supports legal advice and advocacy. No specific litigation outcome is promised.

Donations are not tax-deductible. Fair Autism & Disability Funding BC is not a registered charity. All contributions support the legal and advocacy work described above.