Threats and violence against people with disabilities
Agencies reported 145 disability-bias hate crime incidents in 2025. The low count reflects underreporting, not safety: federal survey data show people with disabilities are victims of violent crime at almost four times the rate of others.
What you need to know
- 145 disability-bias incidents were reported to the FBI in 2025: 81 anti-mental disability and 64 anti-physical disability.
- From 2017 to 2019 the violent victimization rate was 46.2 per 1,000 for people with disabilities versus 12.3 for others, per the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
- Many victims depend on the people who harm them, which keeps reports from reaching police.
The official count
| Bias type | Category | 2025 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-Mental Disability | Disability | 81 | 107 | -26 |
| Anti-Physical Disability | Disability | 64 | 76 | -12 |
Counts are incidents reported by agencies that file with the FBI. A lower number can mean fewer agencies reported, not less hate. See every bias type.
Attacks that define the threat
- 2017 to 2019 · National Crime Victimization Survey
People with disabilities experienced violent victimization at 46.2 per 1,000, almost four times the rate of people without disabilities.
Terms and signals
Analysts and officers see these in posts, comments and channels. Knowing them lets you read a threat for what it is.
- Eugenics language
- "Useless eaters," Aktion T4 references and calls to "remove" disabled people echo Nazi-era killing programs.
- Filmed abuse
- Videos mocking or assaulting disabled people, shared for laughs, are evidence and often show repeat targeting.
A term alone is not a threat. Hateful speech is often legal. NCTIC scores escalation: a specific target, a means, a time, and signs of planning or goodbye messages.
From talk to attack
Caregiver and facility settings. Abuse often happens where victims live. Posts by staff or residents about harming a named person need immediate referral.
Report a threat
- Call 911 for anything imminent. Report threats to local police and the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI.
- Adult protective services in each state take reports of abuse of vulnerable adults.
- Send threats you find to NCTIC at pesach@lattin.us or 505-932-9060. We route each one to the agency with jurisdiction.
Frequently asked
How many disability hate crimes were reported in 2025?
Agencies reported 145 disability-bias hate crime incidents to the FBI for 2025: 81 anti-mental disability and 64 anti-physical disability.
Are people with disabilities more likely to be victims of crime?
Yes. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found a violent victimization rate of 46.2 per 1,000 for people with disabilities from 2017 to 2019, almost four times the rate for people without disabilities.
Who studies this
NCTIC's analysis draws on official data and the work of these organizations. Listing them does not mean they endorse NCTIC.
Federal victimization data.
Advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including victims of crime.
How we put this together. Hate crime counts are incidents reported by law enforcement agencies to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program for 2025, released Aug. 14, 2026, as tabulated by the Arab American Institute; 2024 comparisons use the FBI's updated Crime Data Explorer figures. These counts cover only agencies that report and only incidents that reach police, so they understate the problem, and year-to-year changes partly reflect which agencies filed. Attack summaries draw on court records and news reporting cited below. Watch terms come from NCTIC analysis and public research such as the ADL Hate Symbols database. NCTIC products are analysis and can be wrong.
NCTIC is an independent nonprofit, non-governmental organization. It is not a government agency, does not act under government authority, and does not make or enforce laws.
We take no position on immigration or other policy questions and do not blame threats on any group. Our anchor is simple: the law says no violence against people, whoever they are.