What would I like the government to do around disability hate crime?


Comply with the UN Convention regarding disability around ensuring disabled people are free from harassment and have equal access to law.


Ensure equal legislation around hate crime by including disability in the Incitement legislation, recognise Disability Hate Crime (DHC) as a crime in and of itself.


Ensure the police start implementing recording and monitoring of DHC this year 2010 not next year as we have just found out.


I would like funding available for disabled peoples own organisations to run services, reporting sites and provide training for local authorities and public services re DHC. Not, as is the case at the moment, where we all have to bid for very limited pots of money when all our DPOs and CILs are well placed to do such work accessibly and appropriately.


I would like to see a strategic response to DHC that recognises disabled people themselves are at the heart of any work progressed. As the ones who become the victims, the ones who have asked to be believed for so many years, the ones who have campaigned and raised awareness on the issue are the experts yet often excluded.


I would so like to see those disabled people who have initiated campaigns and work on this issue for decades promoted and enabled to speak at events. Many events are so expensive it actually means those of us with the most knowledge and experience are excluded due to costs.


I would like ACHPO and all police to initiate training packages designed to address all disability hate crime from a pan impairment approach rather then focusing just on learning disability, mental health etc.


A Social Model approach which does not limit our experiences down to the type of impairment we have would be a far better and lead to equality of justice.


I would like the government to fund a project that will bring together all nation wide DPO’s, and national partners working on DHC so we can share good practice, concerns, initiatives, gain support and start working together sharing expertise, knowledge and skills.


I tried to get funding for such a project but the EHRC did not seem to understand how much this is needed as their focus was on front line services which although good is a very limited perspective when we so need a joined up approach top down as well as bottom up.


I would like to see the CPS and other justice partners engaging and including representatives from disabled peoples organisations in their work on hate crime, ensure each panel, board, advisory group etc includes disabled people who have expertise around all disabled peoples experiences on DHC not just learning disability, mental health etc.


This focus on specific impairment whilst appropriate for frontline service provision, to ensure accessibility and understanding, is not appropriate at strategic levels. We need to know that all disabled people, regardless of types of impairment, will get equal access to justice and services. Also such knowledge is required when reviewing cases, planning training, delivery and strategy.


At the heart of all work the government plans on hate crime, the ethos of ‘Nothing about us without us’ should be applied as so often we are excluded.


Around any other type of hate crime this would not be the case but around disability it seems to be acceptable. It is not!