ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book highlights the multitude of forms and expressions of disability hate speech and the ways they are embedded in social, cultural, political, and economic settings, as well as identifying some ways of countering it. It demonstrates that online hate speech can agitate and motivate those who commit offline hate-inspired criminal acts. The book suggests that a more holistic understanding of hate is necessary in order to understand, theorize and respond to the experience of disablist hate speech. It also discusses some of the forms that disability hate speech can take and discusses the effects that hate crimes can have on their victims. The book describes the ways in which the term “midget” denigrates people with dwarfism. It discusses the use of disability hate speech against the European indigenous group, Sami people.
