The experiences of coaches with physical disability in South African sport

Abstract

Coaching is a developmental and athletic-enhancing process in  which an experienced individual provides a protégé with training,  guidance and support in achieving a sporting goal. However, research on the experiences of coaches with disabilities is scant. This  study focused on the career experiences of coaches with a  disability within the South African context. The study adopted a case- study design in which qualitative data were collected using semi- structured interviews and observations. The data were triangulated  to corroborate the findings obtained from the interviews and  observations. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the  participants (n=3) and data were thematically analysed. The  findings showed that coaches with disabilities had positive and  negative experiences in their careers. The main positive experiences  included having a sense of fulfilment in coaching practice,  demonstrating that disability did not mean deviance or abnormality  and the joy of seeing achievements by the athletes that they  coached. Challenging experiences were associated with lackadaisical  attitudes from parents and sometimes athletes, a lack  of support and intrinsic limitations imposed by the disabilities  resulting in communication problems. The results also revealed the  adjustments that the coaches made to accommodate their disabilities, which consisted of rule changes to games and the use of  assistive devices and equipment. The need to provide necessary  support for coaches with disabilities as well as develop measures to  raise awareness for society to have positive attitudes towards the  capabilities of coaches with disabilities, are discussed and  recommended.