By Audrey Valenzuela | Staff Writer
Navigating a world designed for right-handed people is an everyday struggle for those left-handed folks. Small obstacles from smudging ink across a page to fighting with a pair of scissors that aren’t quite cooperating are things most people don’t think twice about.
We often hear phrases such as, “Just use your right hand it’s not that hard,” “You were cursed by the devil” or “I could never write with my left hand. It’s unnatural.”
I will say, being left-handed and playing sports was definitely my superpower. No one ever knew what my next move was because being a lefty in sports was weird. I won many games in volleyball because of my unusual use of the left hand.
But why is being left-handed considered weird? Well, one in 10 people are left-handed — that’s about 10% of the world’s population. Not very many of us, right? Most people you meet, if not all, are right-handed and don’t think about sharing that with others since it’s “normal.”
Accommodating for “lefties” is not very common, and we typically have to supply our own tools that will make our lives easier.
I’ve never been to a school that had a pair of scissors that I could cut paper with successfully. I got used to switching hands when cutting paper because it was the only way I could get them to work.
Baylor, like many institutions, caters primarily to the right hand. While these arrangements go unnoticed by right-handed students, left-handed students are facing daily inconveniences that need to be changed.
The need for adjustments in school systems is crucial to ensure that left-handed students are given the same level of comfort and accessibility in their learning environments. This will allow them to perform at their best without unnecessary distractions or discomfort.
How are you going to perform better in school because of a simple change in desks? Well, providing desks that are designed for left-handed writers will not only make it easier for a student to take notes, but it will prevent the everyday bump of the arm with their classmates.
The fold-up desks in lecture halls are rather difficult for us. Our arm awkwardly hangs in the air when we get past the half-page point in our notes. Our right arm is tucked away by our side like a T. rex with nowhere to go.
Weird? Let’s make it weirder.
Writing with pens is our biggest enemy. There will never be a time when we write with a pen and don’t end up with ink marks down the side of our hand. The smudges you see smeared across the ulnar side of the hand is the best way to spot a left-handed individual.
Most computer labs are set up with the mouse on the right side of the keyboard. How do you spot a leftie in this scenario? You may find us fighting with the wire as we move the mouse to the left side of the keyboard. Even after moving it, we still need to make adjustments in using the buttons correctly since they are still programmed for right-hand users.
By making small but meaningful accommodations, schools, workplaces and society as a whole can create a more inclusive environment — one where left-handed people don’t have to work harder just to fit in. It’s time to recognize that lefties deserve the same ease and accessibility as everyone else.
