ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a range of legal, political and social strategies for addressing the problem. The emphasis on political and social strategies is not an accident: hate crimes legislation is only one element in creating safer communities. People who work in caring professions, social work, and in the human services may need additional training in how to recognize and report disability hate crimes. Social movements are often responsible for politicizing the issue of hate crimes and drawing attention to the high levels of hate crime victimization experienced by specific groups. Challenging discrimination and prejudice, promoting equality and human rights, and protecting people from violence and other forms of criminal victimization are vital to a safer and more just society, and also provide a foundation for tackling the issue of disability hate crime. Like many victims of prejudice, disabled people are often subjected to a range of negative stereotypes which denigrate, stigmatize and isolate them.
