Strength and Power against Disability Hate Crime

Disability Hate Crime: Strength in numbers and the power of CAPITALS

It’s always a joy to be invited! A pleasure to participate and an honour to contribute. You know you’re in the right place when the words ‘nothing about us, without us’ and ‘by Disabled people for Disabled people’ hang on the walls. The #bigLearningEvent 2019 began with a reminder that ‘Disabled’, in capitals, is a shorthand for the Disabled People’s movement, its activists, its ideas and its power.  Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations [DDPOs] also in their voice show their intent in the telling of Disabled people’s interests. No one person can speak for a whole population, however together as a movement we can inch toward a vision in hundreds of single steps. Better together is the strength and power of many individuals.

It was a huge privilege to share insights from my recent work on the fight against disability hate crime since the ground-breaking 2008 report ‘Getting away with murder’. As a seminal piece following in the steps of its authors was an act of respect. Tall shoulders indeed! These are a few takeaways from the work so far:

The conversation about Disability Hate Crime is slowly gathering pace. Ten years ago there were few common words to give the phrase meaning, so talk of the crime was practically nonexistent. Thankfully things have changed – somewhat.  Slowly so far, the story of the intentional hate and harm directed at Disabled individuals as a group is growing. The conversation has started, words are spreading, and gaining strength in society more widely .

Disability Hate Crime in short is an abuse of human rights. Unfortunately, it is a crime that occurs in circumstances where it is not always recognised and it takes so many different forms so few see it for what it is. The character of its violence can be physical, emotional, financial, psychological, sexual, neglect and institutional. Emerging research, despite growth, has a sparse literature, but is gaining pace. However, evidence needs to grow in order to change a landscape where it’s rarely acknowledged.

In a list of difficulties, the Disability Hate Crimes themselves can at first seem trivial to many. Particularly to those who’ve not been gifted an insight into the realities of Disabled people’s lives. Many still find it unbelievable that Disabled individuals are subjected to derision, mockery and abuse most days. The initial response to "I’ve been hurt" is most often "you must be joking ?”

Trust is rarely placed in the testimony of Disabled victims.

Crimes against Disabled people are often seen as mere bullying. Attacks are thus normalised, rather than challenged. Sadly, experienced as a bombardment of mini aggressions, what may seem inconsequential to many is a nightmare to the few who endure it. The impact is cumulative, weeks of low-blows can impact on Disabled individuals in life-changing ways. Fear, or more often the fear of fear,  haunts many and leads to habits that avoid public spaces. Sadly, the type of life affirming habit that helps relationships flourish and help people feel less exposed. 

Thankfully growing quantification and qualification is revealing evidence of size. While attackers as are not treated as perpetrators of disability hate crimes, as the offence isn’t recognised, sentencing has become stricter. The Disability hate crime knowledge-base is poorly shared, despite training programmes that are updated and attended, people struggle to recognise it, or have a language for it, to call it put when they are faced with it. It is cloaked by so many other complex taboos.

Disability hate crime can be an intimate, often individualised therefore dismissed as personal, especially because when perpetrated by friends and family. Sadly, akin to the red flags for identifying coercive control, small acts of violence follow a pattern that can end in sustained violence that can lead to murder.

For agencies to respond more effectively, a great deal more needs stating about the systemic failures and the societal myths that fuel the negative ideas and attitudes that feed hate.  Lack of Disabled people is noticeable in institutional settings, and their Voices in associated instructional materials. When this silencing is linked to multi-agency working, as omission of of self-representative language creates a huge clash of conflicting terminology. In addition to the pain of crime, it is disrespectful to the Disabled public who need to navigate institutional warrens in order to get help, support and ultimately justice.

In terms of a single word, moving from the use of ‘vulnerable’ to the use of ‘crime’ in line with a conversation about Human Rights abuse and towards an entitlement perspective seems positive. Disability hate crime is a violation of Human Rights that is not well understood. 

I believe vulnerability is a choice, as human beings we are most vulnerable when we allow ourselves to trust. In telling my story I’m vulnerable, in taking your hand I’m vulnerable, in joining a cause I’m vulnerable... I love you.  In no way does my impairment make me more / less vulnerable, however others abusing honesty, openness and trust can be an opportunity for them to inflict harm. Vulnerability is complex. To quote Brené “Vulnerability is about sharing our feelings and our experiences with people who’ve earned the right to hear them. Being vulnerable and open is mutual and an integral part of the trust-building process.” (Brown, 2012, p.45)

I'm thankful that language is changing, and through Disabled people’s experience, there is growing knowledge of their storytelling in the world. We need to encourage this characteristic group voice, nurture it, and help it flourish.