New research from The Open University has found that in Northern Ireland one in three disabled adults has experienced cyber-victimisation, with one in four reporting cyber-victimisation during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022/2023 Disability hate crime reached the highest level since recording began in 2005. For many, digital spaces are essential for connection, information, services and work. Yet those same spaces can become places of harm.
The Open University’s research, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, shows that cyber-victimisation of disabled people is common, harmful and lacks adequate victim support. In light of recent hate speech, or incidents targeting people because of who they are or where they come from, the Northern Ireland Executive is reviewing the supports available to, and legislative protections for, victims of hate crime. This research considers hate crime in the digital space and finds ripple effects that will require intervention across justice, health and educational spaces.
What we found
In our study of 113 disabled adults, participants reporting cyber-victimisation cited:
Incidents of repeated hostility
The sharing of private health or political information
Coordinated pile-ons
Direct messages designed to intimidate or shame
Participants described the impact on mental health: including anxiety, fear, and symptoms consistent with trauma when abuse persisted across platforms. They also described consequences that impacted everyday life, including:
Disrupted lifestyle routines
Withdrawal from online communities
Loss of trust in the public and in support channels.
“The impact, it was very, very frightening… I didn't know who to trust? I was worried for the safety of myself. I was worried for the safety of my children and my family. I was worried that perhaps my children would be targeted if they would be out and about. It had a major impact, to be honest […] it really, really did. It was a very, very frightening experience.” - Participant 1
Silence and disbelief
Troublingly, most participants stated they received no formal help or support. None reported incidents to the police. Some stayed silent because they expected to be disbelieved or blamed. This points to critical gaps in legislative protection and supports for victims of hate crime leaving victims doubly harmed: first by the cyber-victimisation, and then by the absence of support.
Why Northern Ireland’s context matters?
In Northern Ireland, the nature of cyber-victimisation differed in two important respects. First, participants reported that both health information and political views were manipulated online and used against them alongside disability-related targeting, including being labelled a burden on taxpayers.
Second, many felt less protected when facing hostile public attitudes due to the small size of the NI population which in turn makes them feel exposed, easily identifiable or located. Public health regulations and messaging have alienated clinically vulnerable groups, and participants reported being targeted both for being prioritised for vaccination and for being medically exempt, with each position used to question their legitimacy or value.
Social media – a lifeline and liability or lessons from the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic brought new pressures. Participants told us they felt overlooked or sacrificed in official messaging. Some were targeted for discussing clinical vulnerability or reasonable adjustments. Others faced hostility for following guidance or seeking vaccines, while a few faced criticism for being medically exempt.
During this period, social media was both a lifeline and liability. It helped people stay informed and connected, yet it also provided a platform for misinformation, ableist narratives, and targeted abuse. The experience during COVID-19 should be a warning. The needs and rights of disabled people must not be an afterthought in future pandemic and emergency planning.
Health really is on the line
Cyber-victimisation is often discussed as an “online safety” problem. Our findings point to something broader. There was a statistically significant link between experiencing cyber-victimisation and disruption to health management. People reported:
Missing appointments
Changing medication routines
Changes to self-management of health
Experiencing flare-ups triggered by sustained stress
This matters because many disabled people use online tools to socialise, manage long-term conditions, and access services. When digital spaces become unsafe, people can lose anchors that supports their wellbeing. The impact does not stop when the screen turns off.
What should happen next?
We need to stop seeing cyber-victimisation as merely a digital safety issue. Cyber-victimisation is:
A public health challenge
A human rights issue
A societal failure
It requires multi-level, joined-up responses by the PSNI, public health initiatives, health services, and the third sector, thus, across Northern Ireland, it should be reflected in:
Health strategies
Human rights and disability action plans
Safeguarding frameworks, and multi-agency collaboration
Cyber-victimisation is not inevitable. It thrives in gaps between systems and in cultures that treat disabled people as less than equal.
The starting point is to listen to what disabled people have been saying for years, take their input seriously and build responses that match the scale of the harm. Forums such as the Assembly’s Disabled People’s Parliament (due to return on 21 November 2025) are positive platforms for engaging decision-makers on key issues, including gaps in support in frontline service provision, or obstacles in terms of misinformation.
The social model of disability teaches us that people are not disabled by their impairments, but by the barriers society places in their way. With coordinated action, those gaps can be closed.
Dr Zhraa Alhaboby is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical and Health Sciences at The Open University, Deputy Chair of the Human Research Ethics Committee, and Coordinator of the Global Health and Development research cluster.
Zhraa has pioneered research in the UK on the cyber-victimisation of people with long-term conditions and disabled people. She has worked with general practitioners, police forces, disability and victim support groups to investigate this devastating phenomenon and drive change. Her research has provided evidence to support policy change and recommendations for hate crime laws and communication offences in the UK. The current British Academy–funded study in Northern Ireland is conducted in collaboration with the Hate Crime Advocacy Service and Victim Support Northern Ireland, which have contributed to discussions, study design, recruitment, and dissemination. It forms part of a wider programme at The Open University to tackle the cyber-victimisation of disabled people as a societal challenge and to improve support through changes to policy and practice.