Hate crimes are based on bigotry and are committed because of the intended victim's race, religion and sexual orientation. And in some states disability is among them. The federal hate crime legislation at this point does not include people with disabilities. However, the city of Chicago and state of Illinois have one of best hate crime statutes in the country that specifically includes people with disabilities. In 1999, Chicago had over 200 reported hate crimes.
Race is the most common basis for hate crime.
The hardest part is proving the hate. It's got to be motivated by hate. He says that there's a lack of reporting because people are not aware of the law. The problem with the hate crime laws, a lot of people just aren't aware of them, particularly disabled people. For instance, this year in Chicago we had one crime based on disability.