Forms of abuse

The Online abuse and the experience of disabled people (House of Commons, 2019) report highlights the most common forms:

• The use of images of people with visible disabilities to create jokes or memes.
• Being told that they should not have been born, being questioned about whether they should have been aborted, and suggestions that they would be better off dead.
• Requests for explicit images, with the implication that disabled women in particular, should be grateful for the attention and can be attacked for refusing to provide images.
• Repeated accusations of benefit fraud or being “a drain on society”. Threats of being reported for benefit fraud for posting images of themselves outside the home or being involved in political activism.
• People misrepresenting themselves as healthcare professionals to get sensitive information to “prove” a disabled person is claiming benefits fraudulently. If someone is unable to obtain such information, abuse may follow as the lack of information is seen as proof of fraud.
• Being targeted with “miracle cures”, particularly in online support groups.
• People with learning disabilities being targeted for sexual or financial exploitation by people who target them on social media and online dating sites.
• People with visible disabilities are targeted for how they look. People with invisible disabilities are targeted for “not looking disabled enough.”

These are particularly prevalent on social media platforms and groups.

There is a broad consensus that this type of crime continues to be hidden and under-reported compared to other forms of hate crime, which the online environment will contribute to.

For context, the most recent statistics Hate Crime in Scotland 2018-19 (PDF) show that reported disability hate crime has increased by more than half. There were 289 charges with a disability element in 2018/19 compared with 188 in 2016-17, a rise of 65%. This is the highest number of charges reported since the legislation creating this aggravation came into force in 2010. The number of charges reported has increased consistently year on year since the legislation was introduced, with the exception of a small fall in 2016-17.

Recognising if someone is being affected

Online harm is often a hidden issue because the person either does not realise something is happening, or they are too embarrassed to talk about it. It is likely that the impact on victims will show in their mental health, so you should anticipate behavioural changes that are unusual, especially those that show signs of stress. As with so many of the issues raised in this resource, these signs will be similar to those exhibited by anyone who may be worried or stressed, and are also applicable to people exposed to harm offline. See this resource by Mind. Some of the points under behaviour may be particularly useful to look at to see if the person you are supporting may be experiencing harm online. This could take the form of irritability, aggressiveness, anxiety or low mood. And it may lead them to having physical signs, such as shallow breathing, tiredness, headaches, or body tension. Being able to observe these changes is therefore extremely important.