Fear of hostility prevents one in three disabled people going out

Fear of hostility could be stopping large numbers of disabled people in Scotland going out in their communities, says Leonard Cheshire Disability as it reveals the results of a UK national survey of disabled adults aged over 18.

Publication of these findings coincides with the announcement of the Scottish Government’s new ‘Hate has no home in Scotland’ initiative which aims to increase public understanding of what hate crime is, and how to report it – for those who personally experience it and also bystanders of hate crime.

1,609 disabled adults were surveyed in the Leonard Cheshire Disability commissioned research.

Around 1 in 3 (35%) of Scottish disabled adults surveyed said they had experienced hostile behaviour motivated by their disability.  Shockingly, roughly the same proportion (33%) of Scots surveyed said concern about hostile behaviour had prevented them going out in their local area. This was broadly in line with the rest of the UK.

Scottish Government figures show that in 2016-17 188 charges were reported with an aggravation of prejudice relating to disability, however this could be the tip of the iceberg of overall offending rates. The Leonard Cheshire research found one in four (27%) disabled people who experience crimes motivated by their disability didn’t report it to police.

Leonard Cheshire Disability runs an advocacy service aimed at helping victims of disability hate crime specifically.

Disabled people often experienced hostile behaviour face-to-face – but the charity’s survey also revealed that almost 1 in 10 said their experiences (7%) happened either online or via a messaging app.

Neil Heslop, Leonard Cheshire Disability CEO, said: “Hate crime can be totally devastating for disabled people and rob them of their confidence. Some survivors have been left so traumatised they remain trapped in their homes out of fear.”

“Large numbers of hate crime incidents against disabled people in Scotland go unreported simply because victims don’t know how to report these crimes. In some instances, disabled people may think that no one will even listen.”

“As well as greater awareness of disability hate crime and its impact – we need more services that support victims recover from their ordeals.”