Abstract
M.Phil.
As coaching is an expensive intervention aimed at high-performing individuals, many people who live with albinism don’t have access to this type of intervention. As such, this study builds an argument for humanitarian coaching.
In this study, the lived experience of people living with albinism were explored with regard to two aspects, namely, (a) the challenges they experience and, (b) what enables them to transcend these challenges. This study was motivated by three factors, namely, (a) the extent to which albinism influences all aspects of a person’s life, (b) how these aspects have been neglected in the literature and, (c) the prevalence of albinism. The two-sided research problem that guided the research process, is (a) that there is a lack of research on the lived experience of people living with albinism and as such, there is little available literature on the challenges they experience and the strategies they employ to transcend these challenges, and (b) that, in theory, coaching could be used as a development strategy to assist these individuals but is an expensive and exclusive intervention rarely available to individuals who are not identified as high performing individuals or people who haven’t made significant progress in their careers. Based on the problem statement, the theoretical aim of this study is threefold. Firstly, the literature on albinism was explored to gain an understanding of (a) the nature of albinism, (b) the causes of albinism; and (c) what the effect thereof is on people living with the condition. Secondly, the literature on disability in the workplace was reviewed to understand what the possible experience of people living with albinism might be. Thirdly, the literature was explored to understand key aspects of coaching. These key aspects were then applied and integrated with the research findings to establish how coaching can, theoretically, become a pathway for people living with albinism from their current reality to a fulfilled work life.
The research study was conducted within a qualitative research paradigm and the research strategies used was interactive qualitative analysis (IQA) in a focus group context and thematic analysis (TA) of data collected through semi-structured interviews based on an appreciative inquiry (AI) approach. The...