The short answer to the questions published on the previous article is that we have more of a voice than many realise.
Criminal prosecution in Britain is handled by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). It's the CPS that decides whether or not a case is tried. They don't drag their feet getting convictions. They have detailed policies for dealing with disability hate crime, like the 'Code for Crown Prosecutors', 'Prosecutor's Pledge' and 'Code of Practice for Victims of Crime,' available from the CPS.
The CPS define disability hate crime as:
"Any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's disability or perceived disability."
When people plead guilty to, or are convicted of, a disability hate crime then the courts treat the victim's disability as an 'aggravating circumstance' meriting 'enhanced sentencing.' Offenders will be punished more heavily if the crime was disability-motivated than if it wasn't.
If somebody hit you because they saw a disabled person as easy prey, bullies usually also being cowards as, then they'd find themselves punished more. Somebody involved in a bar brawl, committed exactly the same offence, wouldn't automatically get the harsher sentence. Judges and Magistrates have to clearly state when using enhanced sentencing.
Dedicated policies and personalised support exist for disabled victims and witnesses when going to court. The CPS recognises disabled witnesses might have particular difficulties with court cases and that those are as variable as our disabilities themselves. If you're unable to take part, that doesn't automatically mean a case is dropped. The CPS and the police will look at other ways to secure evidence needed to prosecute, although cases are less likely to be dropped if you make your best efforts.
Remember, what an attacker might have done to you they'll be encouraged to do again to others if they keep getting away with it. That and the CPS don't need a victim's consent to proceed. They act for the public as a whole, not for single groups or individuals. They rely on there being sufficient evidence and whether prosecution is in the public interest.
If they satisfy both requirements the case would most likely proceed. According to the CPS themselves:
"It will usually be in the public interest in disability hate crime cases to bring a prosecution."
