No More Learning Disability and Autism Hate Crime – national campaign launch #ImWithSam

Hate crime robs people of their confidence, their independence and, sometimes, their lives.

Despite the work that has taken place since the tragic deaths of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter 9 years ago, including the Home Office’s recently published ‘Hate Crime Action plan’, new research conducted by Dimensions shows no let-up in the daily abuse faced by people with learning disabilities and autism.

Most recent Home Office statistics show a 25% year on year rise in Hate Crime including 2,500 reported Hate Crimes against people with disabilities. Estimates put the real figure at closer to 70,000 hates crimes per year.

For people without a learning disability or autism, the daily horror of hate crime can be hard to imagine.

As one of the UK’s largest support providers – working with 3500 people with learning disabilities and autism – Dimensions is inevitably often on the front line of hate crime.

Our campaign is founded on a broad-based policy position statement that makes a number of specific, practical recommendations for change.

Amongst other changes, we are calling for are: the separation of disability hate statistics compiled by the police and others into learning disability/autism categories amongst other disabilities; a change in the law to make disability hate online a crime in its own right; and steps to make it easier for people with learning disabilities to report hate crime.

The campaign, called “I’m with Sam” and led by Dimensions, is backed by major partners including all the major learning disability and autism self-advocacy organisations, speaking with a single voice and providing a practical blueprint for change comprising 8 principal goals.

‘I’m with Sam’ launches through the media and in parliament on Tuesday 11th October, to coincide with Hate Crime Awareness Week.

The campaign dossier includes:

•   The results of Dimensions’ Learning Disability and Autism Hate Crime survey providing the most up to date available UK snapshot pointing to frightening levels of prevalence of hate crime targeting people with learning disability or autism;
• Direct accounts from the victims of hate crime of their experiences including verbal and physical violence, online abuse, bullying and financial abuse; and it will offer case studies for media use;
• Policy objectives

Download the campaign dossier

Download the campaign dossier in easy read

Contact our press office

Email our Press Officer, Duncan Bell, at duncan.bell@dimensions-uk.org

Call us on 0300 303 9062

The following organisations have signed up as Campaign Partners. They have reviewed and support the campaign messages, and will support Dimensions with communication and campaign delivery:

• Learning Disability England
• National Forum for People with Learning Disabilities
• National Valuing Families Forum
• Foundation for People with a Learning Disability
• Inclusion North
• Inclusion East
• Options for Supported Living
• United Response
• Papworth Trust
• National Autistic Society
• Autism Together
• Ambitious About Autism
• CMG
• VODG
• Books Beyond Words
• Stop Hate UK