‘It spreads like a creeping disease’: experiences of victims of disability hate crimes in austerity Britain

Abstract

This article examines disabled people’s experiences of hate crime during a period of austerity and welfare reform. Narrative interviews were conducted with 12 victims of disability hate crimes in the United Kingdom who experienced a spectrum of targeted, disablist violence and harassment, from name-calling and verbal abuse to physical and sexual violence and damage to property. Participants expressed frustration and disappointment with inadequate, offensive and inappropriate responses from the criminal justice system. This resulted in a lack of confidence in reporting their experiences to police in future. Evidence from participant stories encapsulates the diversity of disability hate crime perpetrators, from neighbour to stranger, resulting in a lack of safe space in which disabled people can live and work. Examination of these findings illustrates the impact of contemporary structural discourses of conditionality and stigma upon disabled people, including acceptance of and resilience to hate crimes.