Abstract

Research suggests that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on disabled people was magnified compared with the impact on non-disabled people; however, little is known about the experiences of disabled people living in rural areas, particularly those in the Global South. Disabled people living in rural areas experience significant challenges related to poverty, food insecurity and access to information and healthcare. Data were collected in the Nkomazi East Municipality in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Interviews with two key informants were conducted in English. Eight semistructured interviews were conducted in Siswati with people with disabilities. Five family members of people with disabilities were also interviewed. All data were transcribed and translated into English, then analysed using inductive thematic analysis and interpreted through the lens of corporeal vulnerability. Findings revealed increased isolation, stigma, discrimination and financial and food insecurity during the pandemic, giving rise to a sense of embodied precarity. Access to healthcare was influenced by the presence of gatekeepers and informal triage systems. Experiences were compounded by food supply challenges, limited public transport and the complexities of trying to maintain social distancing, intensifying the experience of social inequality. Findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic magnified the experience of oppression and discrimination because of a communal sense of threat to survival. They highlight the need for increased awareness, social support and policy reform in response to the challenges imposed by the pandemic, with a specific focus on basic human rights, including access to information, healthcare and nutrition and ensuring the dignity of all community members. Additional efforts are needed in planning for future healthcare crises to ensure that responses are authentically disability inclusive.