The continuing violence towards disabled people

Western society places high value on physical beauty and grace of movement, and tends to shun those who do not have these qualities. Disability hate crime highlights the modern form of this violence. This paper uses the high-profile case of Fiona Pilkington to examine how disability hate crime can be dismissed until it results in tragic consequences. Newspapers play a key part in shaping the public's interpretation of disability. An examination of the reports of the coroner's enquiry into the deaths of Fiona and Francesca Pilkington through a qualitative content analysis questions how much progress has been made in reducing the marginalisation of disabled people.