About the project

Research suggests that many disabled people experience hate on a regular basis. These experiences can include a range of different behaviours, including name-calling, bullying, physical abuse, being stared at, or being made to feel out of place.

However, research also suggests that a lot of disabled people don’t report these experiences for a number of different reasons. For example, people might not recognise that their experiences are hate crimes, or lack the confidence in contacting the police and other reporting services. Some disabled people have also reported negative experiences with the police, meaning that they do not choose to contact them for future incidents. As a result, for lots of disabled people, these experiences can become ‘normal’ parts of everyday life.

This project has worked with disabled people to learn more about these experiences. I wanted to know more about how disabled people make sense of hate and hate crime, and why many people don’t report these. I also wanted to learn more about the harms of experiencing hate. Finally, I wanted to learn about what disabled people are doing to challenge or manage these experiences. I also wanted to think about the role of research and researchers (like me) in supporting these moments of resistance.

To do this research, I have led workshops and interviews with disabled people and listened to their own experiences and understandings.