INTRODUCTION:
Situated within a 7 year multi-country study (Engendering Disability-Inclusive Development), this collaborative project between South African and Canadian academics, Epilepsy South Africa and the South African Disability Alliance employed a baseline study of disabled peoples organisations in South Africa to identify priority areas of focus, including access to and experiences of transportation.

METHODS:
Phase I of the research brought together 10-15 women with neurological disabilities in each of 4 South African provinces (Western Cape, Free State, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape) on Transportation. Focus groups of 60-90 minutes were facilitated by Social Workers in relevant local languages (Sesotho, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Afrikaans), recorded, translated, transcribed and coded thematically.

RESULTS:
Participants reported economic, structural, and attitudinal barriers impacting mobility and health. They reported challenges in: affording transportation, navigating uneven roads, boarding compact and damaged vehicles. They also reported attitudinal barriers and inaccurate perceptions by drivers and fellow passengers resulting in experiences of ‘invisibility’ (pressure to “hurry up” without understanding mobility limitations, lack of return transport from hospital after arriving by ambulance) and “hyper-visibility” (ridicule, staring, avoidance). Inaccurate perceptions included assumptions about destinations (doctors office, not work or school), perceptions of ‘contagion (resulting in avoidance),’ and being referred to and treated as “not normal.”

CONCLUSIONS:
Intersecting factors position women with neurological disabilities as either overlooked or excluded from the category of “regular people trying to get somewhere” placing them in unique positions of vulnerability with negative health impacts. They face heightened risks of falling due to driver inattention (ie, accelerating before able to find a seat), inappropriate touching and assault by drivers, and physical danger when refused transit (consequently travelling long distances on foot/by wheelchair after dark). Repeated experiences of othering and exclusion limit women’s willingness to use shared transport, limiting their work, education and social opportunities, and leading to damaging self-stigma.