Abstract:
The use of interview facilitated a study of the play behaviour of young people with albinism. This qualitative study provided insights into these children's play behaviour and peer interactions from their teachers' perspectives. Data was collected from a range of regular schools and one special school. The research questions that emerged from the aim of the study focused on how the participants played with their classmates, and what kind of play behaviour they exhibit. Teachers were asked to comment on whether students played with others, alongside others or on their own and whether this behaviour occurred all of the time, most of the time, some of the time, occasionally or never. Teachers were also asked whether students liked to play on their own, in a small group, or in a large group of six plus students. The findings indicated that the majority of students with albinism played with others, and this behaviour occurred most of the time. In order to interpret this data, the play behaviour of learners with vision impairment (not albinism) and those with no vision problems was also investigated and comparisons were made between the three groups. It was concluded that the play behaviour of the group with albinism closely paralleled the data collected on students with vision impairment (not albinism) and students with no vision problems.