UK – The short animations, which explore the difficulties of identifying a true friend, were produced as part of a Nottingham Mencap’s Smile! Stop Hate Crime scheme and will be used by the service and its partners.
They tackle issues such as receiving unwanted and abusive messages and being asked for photos, personal details and money, as well as giving advice on how to block messages and report activity to support workers.
The creations were premiered at a special event for Learning Disability Awareness Week, attended by Mencap service users and representatives from Nottinghamshire Police and Nottingham City Council, as well as the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Paddy Tipping.
Karen Aspley, Smile! Stop Hate Crime Coordinator, said: “Disability Hate Crime is under reported, not only in Nottinghamshire, but across the country. We wanted these videos to highlight the difficulties people with learning disabilities face in recognising and reporting hate crime.
“The animations produced by the students met our brief perfectly and their videos will have a real application in the real world.”
Dr Loretta Trickett, associate professor at Nottingham Law School, has been working with Mencap for several years to research and tackle disability hate crime, particularly that which takes place online.
