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We provide free, independent information and support to everyone including disabled people, their carers, families and friends.
Disability hate incidents
What a disability hate incident is, how to report it and what to do if you need support.
About disability hate incidents
A disability hate incident is defined as:
Any incident perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person's disability or perceived disability.
This means a hate incident is when anyone feels they have been picked on or targeted because of their disability. The victim or the witnesses' perception is used to 'early-identify' if an incident is motivated by hostility towards the victim's disability.
Disability hate incidents also include the following:
- disability hate by association - sometimes you may experience disability hate incidents through your association with a disabled person, for example, as carers or family members
- presumed disability - incidents where an offender has mistakenly believed that the victim is disabled
Identifying the type of incident early will ensure that it is recorded appropriately. The agency that you report it to will take into account the element of prejudice towards disabled people in their investigation.
About direct disability hate incidents
Direct disability hate incidents include:
- physical abuse - spitting, punching, kicking, slapping, pushing or behaviour which leads to physical injury
- threats - words of a threatening nature, for example “I’m going to beat you up” or “I’m going to get you and your family”
- verbal abuse - name calling, swearing, abusive telephone calls
- sexual abuse - this can be abuse including degradation, rape, assault
- written or printed abuse - letters by post, leaflets or posters using prejudiced language, abusive text messages and so on against disabled people
- graffiti or disability hate language or images - written or drawn onto property
- attacks on property or home - deliberate damage to your home or assistive equipment, eggs or stones thrown at property, tyres slashed, windows broken
- harassment - persistent intimidating or threatening behaviour which is spread over a period of time
Who a disabled person is
Under the Equality Act 2010 a person has a disability if they have:
- a physical or mental impairment
- the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities
Guidance on the definition of disability on GOV.UK.
These are the same as under Disability Discrimination Act.
The social model of disability distinguishes between:
- 'impairment' (functional limitations of mind, body, or senses)
- 'disability' (disadvantage or restrictions of activity placed by the society).
A key concept of the social model is that society disables people by the way things are arranged. Organise things differently, and they are suddenly enabled - though the impairment has not changed.
The social model regards disability as:
‘The loss of or limitation of opportunities to take part in the normal life of the community on an equal level with others due to physical or social barriers.’
The above definition focuses on removing barriers that prevent disabled people's participation as citizens.
Disabled people include people with:
- physical disabilities or who find it difficult to move around
- sensory disabilities or who can not hear or see, or who find it difficult to hear or see
- learning disabilities
- mental illness
- long term conditions
In April 2005, the law was changed by section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Section 146 imposed a duty upon courts to increase the sentence for any offence (for example, assault or criminal damage) aggravated by hostility based on the victim’s disability or presumed disability. For the purposes of Section 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, disability is defined as ‘any physical or mental impairment.’
Report a disability hate incident
Report to Sussex Police
Phone 999 you in an emergency and ask for the police.
If it is not an emergency, contact the police phone 101 or report online.
Report to Sussex Police online
Report to Brighton & Hove City Council
Report anti-social behaviour and hate incidents online
If you would prefer to report by phone or email, use the following contact details.
If you're a council tenant, council leaseholder or tenants of a leaseholder, report anti-social behaviour and hate incidents to Housing Customer Services.
You can:
- phone 01273 293 030
- send an email to Housing.CustomerServices@brighton-hove.gov.uk
If you're a housing association tenant, report anti-social behaviour and hate incidents to your housing provider. We cannot intervene in housing association cases.
If you're a private rented sector tenant or own your home, report anti-social behaviour and hate incidents to the Community Safety Team.
You can:
- phone 01273 292 735 - leave a voicemail
- send an email to CommunitySafety.Casework@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Report to a third-party organisation
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Report all hate incidents or crimes that you may have been the victim of, witnessed, or are reporting on behalf of someone else through the True-Vision website. You can give as much or as little personal details as you choose. You can report anonymously, if you want to.
If you're reporting a crime, the police will create a crime report and investigate. If you've given your contact details, the police will contact you according to your consent.
If you do not provide personal details, the self-reporting forms will be used to monitor the incidents.
Support services for victims of a disability hate crime
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Victim Support help people affected by all types of crime.
They provide free confidential support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for people affected by crime and traumatic events — regardless of whether they have reported the crime to the police or when it occurred and for as long as it is needed.
Most of our services are delivered locally through skilled staff and volunteers who are deeply rooted in their communities. We adapt our services to meet local need
Links to support in other formats
True-Vision easy read self-reporting forms for people with learning disabilities
Working with disabled people, their carers, and support organisation, we've designed an easy read form.
If you have a learning disability or care for someone that does, you can download easy read forms to report hate incidents.
You can:
- draw on the form to tell us more about what happened
- report all types of hate incidents through these forms
- get information about disability hate incidents and support available
Send an email to communitysafety.casework@brighton-hove.gov.uk to get a form.
Community safety partnership directory
Find support services for victims of:
- domestic or sexual abuse
- anti-social behaviour or hate incidents