Hate speech harms: a social justice discussion of disabled Norwegians’ experiences

This article presents findings from a survey on hate speech reported by disabled people in Norway. Previous British and American research shows that disabled people are more likely than their non-disabled peers to be the victims of hate speech and hate crime. In our study, 38% reported at least one experience of hate speech during the previous 12 months. The respondents reported a wide range of consequences of hate speech related to psychological, social and societal issues. The findings reveal that people place restrictions on their own lives as a result of being exposed to hate speech, including raising their opinion in public debates. Drawing on the work of Nancy Fraser, we discuss the mechanisms that prevent disabled people from participating in society on equal terms. We conclude that to combat hate speech, transformative strategies need to be applied.     

Disabled persons’ job interview experiences: stories of discrimination,uncertainty and recognition

This paper explores disabled persons’ narrated experiences from job interviews. Based on interviews with employed disabled persons in the United States and Norway, the analysis investigates how the informants understand and deal with employers’ interpretations of disability. Three kinds of stories are identified: discrimination, uncertainty and recognition. In the first two stories, informants portrayed employers who used a non-inclusive discourse of disability. In the story of recognition, informants perceived employers to be primarily interested in their competence, and disability was dealt with in an inclusive manner. The comparison between American and Norwegian accounts reveals striking similarities in disabled persons’ narratives.