The equality and human rights watchdog published a report outlining the steps agencies had taken to address disability related harassment between 2012 and 2013. It said that some public bodies had made progress and that many of the recommendations in the Commission's Manifesto for Change (published in 2012) had been adopted, but more needed to be done. It said the Commission particularly welcomed a more victim-focused approach, and measures to prevent reoffending.
Source: Manifesto for Change: Progress report 2013, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | EHRC press release
Date: 2013-Dec
An article examined the management of hate crime in the South West of England, looking at the implementation of hate crime policy across agencies. The research found some good practice and effective multi-agency working, alongside evidence of policy drift both between and within agencies.
Source: Zoe James and Lesley Simmonds, 'Exploring prejudice: managing hate crime in the South West of England', Crime Prevention & Community Safety, Volume 15 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
A report for the equal rights watchdog examined the experiences of people with disabilities in the workplace. It said that unfair treatment or discrimination formed part of a larger pattern of disadvantage that included lower employment rates, poorer quality jobs and multiple barriers to work. The report called for more up to date quantitative data and for qualitative research to be conducted with employers and employees to illuminate better the processes and experiences.
Source: Nick Coleman, Wendy Sykes, and Carola Groom, Barriers to Employment and Unfair Treatment at Work: A quantitative analysis of disabled people s experiences, Research Report 88, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report
Date: 2013-Oct
A report provided baseline data for England and Wales and, where available, for Scotland, in respect of six measures of disability-related crime, together with follow-up data that showed changes over time. The six measures were: number of victims of hate crimes; proportion of disability-related crime incidents reported to the police; reasons why the police did not come to know about the matter; satisfaction with police handling of crime incidents; experience of any crime in the previous 12 months; and worry about being a victim of crime. Further data analysis was planned to take place in two and four years' time.
Source: Nick Coleman, Wendy Sykes, and Alison Walker, Crime and Disabled People: Baseline statistical analysis of measures from the formal legal inquiry into disability-related harassment, Research Report 90, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | Supplementary files
Date: 2013-Oct
A report summarized the key findings from research into hate crime in Wales. It said that hate crime was still a daily reality for many people, devastating individual lives and creating fear and distrust within communities. The prevention of hate crime was a long-term goal that would only be achieved if organizations worked together in partnership to meet this challenge.
Source: Matthew Williams and Jasmin Tregidga, All Wales Hate Crime Research Project, Race Equality First
Links: Report | Welsh Government press release | Cardiff University press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the potential contribution of disabled people to the attainment of the Europe 2020 strategy targets. It said that improving the socio-economic situation of the disabled population could be crucial for attaining the targets. However, future policy designs at national level would need to take into account the actual definition of disability that was employed, the heterogeneity of circumstances to be found within such a definition, and the gap between the situation of the disabled and non-disabled populations.
Source: Alvaro Choi and Jorge Calero, 'The contribution of the population of disabled people to the attainment of Europe 2020 strategy headline targets', Disability & Society, Volume 28 Number 6
Links: Abstract
See also: Alvaro Choi and Jorge Calero, The Contribution of the Disabled to the Attainment of the Europe 2020 Strategy Headline Targets, Working Paper 2012/16, Barcelona Institute of Economics
Date: 2013-Sep
A manifesto set out the key principles, demands, and commitments that disabled people, their organizations, and their allies could use in campaigning and lobbying. It called for a society in which every person was valued and recognized as contributing value; a society that celebrated diversity; and a society that actively eliminated discrimination and exclusion to enable full citizenship.
Source: UK Disabled People s Manifesto: Reclaiming our Futures, Inclusion London
Links: Manifesto | Inclusion London press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined how the coalition government's programme of cuts to disability benefits had affected coverage of disability in the media, comparing and contrasting coverage of disability in newspapers in 2010-11 with a similar period in 2004-05. The analysis suggested that disabled people had became a 'folk devil', and that there had been a significant change in the way that disability was reported. Newspaper coverage in 2010-11 was less sympathetic, and there had been an increase in articles that focused on disability benefit and fraud, together with an increase in the use of pejorative language to describe disabled people. An audience reception study suggested that this coverage was having an impact on the way that people thought about disabled people.
Source: Emma Briant, Nick Watson, and Gregory Philo, 'Reporting disability in the age of austerity: the changing face of media representation of disability and disabled people in the United Kingdom and the creation of new "folk devils"', Disability & Society, Volume 28 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined what impact digital technologies had had in improving life chances for disabled people from deprived neighbourhoods. There was no evidence that digital and assistive technologies had any impact on reducing social exclusion for disabled people: in fact, the technologies seemed to construct new forms of disabling barriers as a consequence of the 'digital divide'.
Source: Stephen Macdonald and John Clayton, 'Back to the future, disability and the digital divide', Disability & Society, Volume 28 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jul
An official advisory body began consultation on whether there was a case for reforming the law so that existing hate crime offences in respect of race and religion should be extended to cover sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability.
Source: Hate Crime: The Case for Extending the Existing Offences, LC213, Law Commission
Links: Consultation document | Summary
Date: 2013-Jun
A report provided an overview of legislation in Europe on intersecting discrimination related to gender and disability.
Source: Konstantina Davaki, Claire Marzo, Elisa Narminio, and Maria Arvanitidou, Discrimination Generated by the Intersection of Gender and Disability, European Parliament
Links: Report
Date: 2013-May
An article examined subjective well-being for people in Europe with chronic disabilities, using data from the European Social Survey. People with disabilities were in a disadvantaged position in terms of subjective well-being in all countries. In the northern countries, the gaps between disabled and non-disabled people were smaller than in eastern countries. In all countries inequality in subjective well-being was explained mostly by personal resources and not by the level of disability, socio-economic status, or level of participation in work.
Source: Cretien van Campen and Marc van Santvoort, 'Explaining low subjective well-being of persons with disabilities in Europe: the impact of disability, personal resources, participation and socio-economic status', Social Indicators Research, Volume 111 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
An article examined the role played by liberal ethical values in the disability rights movement – both the ethics of agency (individual choice and independence) and the ethics of self-acceptance (positive acceptance of individual limitations as a route to well-being).
Source: Steven Smith, 'Liberal ethics and well-being promotion in the disability rights movement, disability policy, and welfare practice', Ethics and Social Welfare, Volume 7 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Apr
An article said that disabled people in England and Wales were at increased risk of being victims of domestic and non-domestic violence, and of suffering mental ill-health when victimized. The related public health and economic burden called for an urgent assessment of the causes of this violence, and national policies on violence prevention.
Source: Hind Khalifeh, Louise Howard, David Osborn, Paul Moran, and Sonia Johnson, 'Violence against people with disability in England and Wales: findings from a national cross-sectional survey', PLoS ONE, Volume 8 Number 2
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Mar
The joint inspectorate report said that victims of disability hate crime were being let down by the criminal justice system, and that progress to improve their experience of reporting offences had been too slow. All agencies needed to do more to ensure that disability hate crime was treated on an equal footing with other hate crimes, and that victims had the confidence to report crimes.
Source: Living in a Different World: Joint review of disability hate crime, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary/HM Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service/HM Chief Inspector of Probation
Links: Report | HMIC press release | ACPO press release | Scope press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2013-Mar
An article examined the implications of the personalization agenda for disability politics. Personalization was insufficiently aligned with collective aspects of empowerment: it disproportionately emphasized improvements in individual autonomy through personalized support, and lacked reference to structural oppression or the need for collective forms of action that brought about structural change. Personalization also lacked a multi-faceted analysis of disability and disempowerment, and therefore any vision of a positive alternative society.
Source: Steven Dodd, 'Personalisation, individualism and the politics of disablement', Disability & Society, Volume 28 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Feb
A report provided an analysis of the existing evidence on disability. It examined the number of disabled people, the way in which disability developed over the life course, the fluctuating nature of disability, and trends in outcomes and barriers to taking part in different areas of life.
Source: Fulfilling Potential: Building a deeper understanding of disability in the UK today, Office for Disability Issues (Department for Work and Pensions)
Date: 2013-Feb
An article examined the role of the law in enforcing social rights for disabled people. It considered the strategic approach of the Disability Rights Commission in Britain between 2000 and 2007; and the work of the Health Service Ombudsman in England in promoting health equality for people with learning disabilities. There was a risk of an exaggerated reliance on individual law enforcement, even where social rights had a legislative basis.
Source: Nick O'Brien, 'Social rights and civil society: "giving force" without "enforcement"', Journal of Social Welfare & Family Law, Volume 34 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan