Access to Transportation: The Experiences of Women with Physical Disabilities

Abstract

Many disabled people still encounter significant barriers in getting access to transportation, especially those with physical impairments. Although the Malaysian government has developed significant disability provision, policies and legislation since the period of colonialism, disabled people still have difficulties accessing public transport. This paper, therefore, set to explore the experiences of women with physical disabilities in gaining access to public transportation. The study collected the data from in-depth interviews with 33 Malaysian women with physical impairments. The data collection took six months in interviewing twice 17 Malays, eight Chinese and eight Indian women in Malaysia. The majority of informants came from low income and rural families, and thus many of them had limited access to transportation. The findings found that many of the women interviewed revealed that they had experienced significant barriers in getting access to public transports in terms of inaccessibility of public transport and negative attitudes of the public transport providers. Therefore, this article will discuss the study's implication and how it impacts women with disabilities in Malaysia.