Disability hate crime
We want to see a society free from hate. One where disabled people have the same protections under the law.
To fight for the changes we need to see, United Response has established a dedicated disability hate crime research team.
Made up entirely of researchers with lived experience of disability, and funded by a grant from the Motability Foundation, the disability hate crime research team has launched a groundbreaking survey, designed to capture your experience of disability hate crime on public transport in England.
We’re also running four focus groups across the country, and would love as many people to attend as possible. Click the following link for more information:
What is disability hate crime?
A disability hate crime is any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim, or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s disability, or perceived disability.
You can learn more about disability hate crime by checking out the latest edition of our disability hate crime blog.
You can also listen to the latest edition of our DHC podcast.
Many people don’t realise they are a victim of hate crime and don’t go on to report it. It’s important that anyone who’s been a victim of a disability hate crime reports it to police.
Why are we doing this disability hate crime project?
Disability hate crime is an area that remains poorly understood, despite the fact that more than 13,000 disability hate crimes were recorded last year. In 99% of reported disability hate crimes, no one was charged with an offence.
We all want the number of people experiencing disability hate crime to go down. Increasing awareness, gathering vital stories, bringing together public bodies and charities, protecting and expanding the rights of disabled people, and making sure the government takes action are all aims of our project.
What you can do to help:
- Filling in our survey is the quickest way to help us stand up for all disabled people on this issue.
- If you have a particular case study, story, or idea you want to share with us, you can use the survey to get in touch. You can also find an email address for the team on there.
- Later in the year we’re going to run a number of focus groups to find out how disabled people want our transport systems to change, and there will be opportunities to take part. Submit your email using the survey to stay updated.
The change we want to see on disability hate crime:
To stamp out disability hate crime, we also need to see large-scale investment from the government in disability training, awareness raising, and support for victims.
Our new survey has collected the opinions of a huge number of victims of disability hate crime. We have asked them what they want the government to prioritise when it comes to dealing with disability hate crime, and how they rate five policy suggestions:
Improve disability awareness training for authorities
Many disabled people have told us that authorities just don’t understand their concerns. United Response is meeting with Passenger Transport Executives, justice bodies, and other organisations to spread awareness of DHC, and find ways to collaborate on improving staff awareness.
Hire dedicated disability staff at all police services
All services should receive appropriate central funding to appoint at least one dedicated Disability Liaison Officer trained in disability awareness and engagement. These officers would to support their colleagues in improving disability awareness, as well as providing a link to the disabled community.
Ensure all victims of hate crime have the same legal protection
In 2021, the Law Commission recommended that all protected characteristics (LGBT+, disability, race, religion) receive the same legal protections.
The new government, elected in 2024, promised to do this in their manifesto, though this was not specifically mentioned in the 2024 King’s Speech. United Response calls for the government to take action on this as soon as possible.
Improve signposting for DHC
The government, police services, public bodies, and charities should all work together to help victims and witnesses of DHC report the incidents to the correct authorities.
Improve accessibility for victims
It can be difficult for anyone to understand if they have been a victim of DHC. Information about DHC, and about victim’s rights, must be made available in formats that are accessible to a wide variety of disabled people. United Response’s Easy Read DHC Guide is an example of what we want to see from other organisations.