Left-Handers in
SocietyLeft-Handers in
Society
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A R C H I V E S |
archival comments: parents | employers |
manufacturers | misc
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p u r p o s e
o f w e b p a g
ep u r p o s e o f
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d' ê t r e
The objective of this website is to communicate accurate information and simple coping strategies pertainent to left-handers living in a right-biased society.
The author is a biological anthropologist who does primary research into handedness. This site is collaboratively built, incorporating comments from left-handers worldwide. I ask that comments be directed to target groups (parents, educators, employers, manufacturers, physicians), so that these right-handers can (1) have a better appreciation of the problems encountered by left-handers, and (2) impliment practical strategies found at this site.
To keep this site managable, comments that reiterate what has been stated by others (as well as most miscellaneous comments) are placed on this archival page. If you are looking for comments on a specific topic, try the index.
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Don't know how to help your your left-handed child learn manual skills? Check your local library for left-handed manuals (see Diana 1972 in the bibliography for brief, illustrated sports tutorials.) Don't forget to check out the page for Lefty Tips that includes tips for music, sports, and daily life (e.g. coping with 3-ring binders, learning to tie a necktie, where to find left-handed items, etc.), the section on early handedness development in pre-schoolers, the section on common school problems faced by left-handers, and the section on medical problems.
m o r e c o m m e n t s . . .
"I remember when my mother and I went shopping for a soft ball glove, neither of us really knew much about them. My mother figured if I was left-handed then I guess I must need a left-handed glove. To this day I still catch left-handed and throw right- handed. I still get confused as to how I should bat. Sometimes it feels comfortable one way and sometimes the other."a d v i c e . . .
Anonymous
"Encourage your children to use both hands, whether they be left- or right-handed. My parents never forced me to use my right hand but helped me learn to do many things with it, as well as making sure my left-handed skills were developed to their full potential. I write longhand very legibly, did well in school and am very creative. I actually prefer keyboards the way they are as I can use the numerical keypad whilst jotting notes. I keep the mouse on the right for the same reason. Encouraging ambidexterity to some degree makes the transition from a left to right task, or vice-versa, much less difficult, traumatic and frustrating."g o o d e x p e r i e n c e s . . .
Bronwyn Johnson, AUSTRALIA"I do not think parents should force their kids to be right-handed."
MacGyver"If your child is left-handed do NOT force them to be right-handed. I am left-handed and proud of it!!! People never made me change and I am very glad that they didn't!"
Nancy, USA"All I can suggest is that parents don't try to prevent a left-handed child from using his/her left hand. There is nothing wrong with it and it is kind of special."
Daniel Gritzer, USA"Let your kids write with what ever hand they want to!!"
Anonymous"As a lefty, I have actually found it useful to learn how to use things in the right-handed way. Examples of this would be using right-handed scissors (in the right-handed way) and cutting my meat with my fork in my left hand and my knife in the right! This makes for faster eating :). And the scissors bit makes it easier on me as I am able to guide the paper (or item) that I am cutting with my left hand. Those are just two of the many ways that I have had to adapt myself to this right-handed world. As a last (albeit random) comment, I feel that parents and educators need to encourage the left-handedness in their children. Although some things are still difficult for me to master (such as knitting and crocheting), I have pretty much conquered this right-handed world. And I'm proud. :) "
M.J. Ku'ikahi Baricuatro, Hawai'i, USA"I'm left-handed and handicapped, I was nine years old before I learned how to tie my shoes. A babysitter I had showed me how to tie my shoes left-handed."
Paul Lightle, USA"My predominate side is left. I use my left hand, my left foot when I begin to walk and my left ear when I use the telephone. I don't remember ever having any problems as a result of being left-sided. I enjoy it because it makes me feel different. I am the only child of a left-handed father and a mother who was forced to use her right hand as a child. I was always expected as a child to be smarter, better and faster than other children. I consider that type of thinking to be the greater handicap to overcome. I found your questionnaire very interesting. I am interested in seeing the final results. Will they be published on your web site?"
Darlene Stogner, USA
Initial conclusions from my hand preference questionnaire research may be found at: Hand Preference Questionnaires: One Gets What One Asks For. This research has been on-going since 1991, and I will continue to collect data for some time before analyzing and writing up the results.
M.K. Holder
"The youngest of four, I was the odd one. When my mother put a bowl of cereal down in front of me, I picked up a fork with my left hand and a spoon in my right and began to eat with both. Thankfully, her grandfather was a lefty forced to be right-handed in writing but taught his son (her father) how to do everything else left- and right-handed. She let me learn at my own pace and with whatever hand I wanted to use for that specific task. My parents were supportive but never made a big issue of my handedness. I adapt as I can and when I can't, I find equipment that matches how I want to do things. I recently had a grandmother anxiously ask me if it was hard for me growing up, since she has a potential left-handed grandson. I told her he would face some challenges, but let him go his own way."
Nancy Luedke, USA"My being left-handed was a non-issue in my family and at school. My mother just told the teacher "she is left-handed and see that she stays that way." Because of my parents attitude to this, I never felt I was different from my four sisters and one brother. Superior maybe but not different. Just kidding"
Anonymous, USA"I'm a middle kid (older sister, younger brother). My Mom and Dad encouraged me to explore the world as a leftie. Instead of feeling like I had a handicap, I was helped to feel like I was sort of special. I'm 25 and still feel special -- but not just 'cause I'm a leftie. Unconditional love is the key -- be what you want to be and all that you can be -- be you rightie or leftie!!!"
Christa, Campbell River, BC, CanadaGo to the Lefty Tips page for more practical advice.
b a c k to
o r i g i n a l p a r e n t c o m m e n t
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b a d e x p e r i e n c e s . .
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"Even though I am left-handed, I
encourage teaching others to use their right hand. One should be
very cautious, however, not to FORCE a student to
use his/her right hand. For example, when teaching a child to
write, put the pencil in his/her right hand. I'm suggesting this because, like it or
not, this is a "right-handed world". Nobody ever forced me to use my left hand (that I
can recall), yet I write right-handed and do some other things
right-handed. I think I converted myself unconciously by simply
mimicking others when I was learning, but who knows, maybe some
teacher ahead of her time did exactly what I'm suggesting
here!"
"I am a left-handed pianist myself,
and the above comment has nothing to do with being left-handed.
The melody is in the right hand, because it *sounds* better that
way. If you play a piece with the melody in the left, and
accompaniment in the right, it would sound *horrid*. In fact, left
hand is frequently harder to play, because you move it a lot more,
and can't look to see where you're moving it. Generally, chords are
in the left hand, and playing octaves, and that takes great
strength. Much more strength than to play even fast melodies with
the right hand. Part of piano is strengthening your hands, while
left-handed people may need to strengthen their right hands,
right-handed people really need to strengthen their left
hands."
"Why can't you have leftie stuff for
leftie people?"
"I did not realize this when I was in
school but the fact that I was left-handed made it difficult to
write on the blackboard (I tend to erase what I write since I
prefer to drag my hand across the board). Try it left-handed!!
This has become more evident to me as an adult when I stand in
front of an audience and want to write something. These days its
done on a grease board which erases even more easily. Although I do
not remember this causing undue problems in grade school through my
college years I can envision that some left-handed students
would be leary to do work on the board, in front of the class,
because it is difficult to write "nicely" without erasing
it. I've turned this into a joke when I teach now. All of my visual
aids are slides, overheads and/or handouts. I explain to my
audience, quite frankly, that they will prefer it that way.
Otherwise they would have to take notes quickly before I erase what
I've written!!"
"I'm 16 years old, and I have taught
myself to cut using right-handed scissors. When I was young, I
had left-handed scissors provided for me in class, but they
were dull and difficult to use. As a result, I was graded down on
my "fine motor skills" such as writing and cutting. I've
learned to use right-handed scissors very well; it's hard to
find big pairs of lefty scissors anyway. If a left-handed
student ends up in your class, please don't force them one way or
another, but let them try BOTH types of scissors before making up
their mind which type to use.
"I believe that left-handers are
highly discriminated against in our public education system.
Left-handed people have been shown to have the ability to do
more things at a time than right-handers. Please take this into
consideration and thank you for your time.
"I am left-handed and a teacher. This
year I asked who was left-handed in my class. The response, in
unison(!) was, "YOU are." I was the only one, and they had noticed,
which I thought was curious. Because I have had to learn how to
navigate through a right-handed world, I have become sensitive to how to give directions, how to model, how
to direct others. I provide directions and then
expect students to reach the same goal in their own way. For
example, if a certain task is to be done, I ask students what they
need to be comfortable to do it. They have the responsibility to do
an assignment and the responsibility to think how they need to
arrange themselves to get it done. It works well and over the years
I have found that everyone feels a sense of relief at being told to
evaluate a task for themselves and then do it. Afterwards we
discuss the adapations and different styles. Part of the benefit of
that is that it sparks ideas and modifications in others."
Go to the Lefty Tips page for
more practical advice.
"Us LEFT-HANDED people have a tougher
time doing things in a right-handed world. For instance, pipe
threads are right-handed, but gas regulators are
left-handed for safty reasons. LEFT-HANDED people do not
see things backwards because we are in the right mind. If we have
a problem let it subside. US LEFTYs will get it somehow. My
ex-boss was a righty and I was his first lefty employee; he
learned to cope with my LEFTY way of thinking."
"Leftys are just as important (even more
so) than rightys. There are not enough lefty products therefore it
is too difficult to do many things such as: cake cutters, can
openers and many other everyday appliances. I hope this comment
will affect some of you rightys out there to do something about our
troubles."
"My two sons are left-handed as well
as most parents I am trying to offer them the best posibilities to
grow, unfortunately in my country there is now available
left-handed products. I am trying to get those but have
insufficient info.... I am very angry because the lack of products
and some people irrational thinking has make my sons to suffer some
discrimination and aggresions like 'you seem stupid for not doing
these right', when they have to cut paper with right-handed
scissors."
"As a left-handed person, I am having
a difficult time in college because all the desks seem to be made
for right-handed people. I don't understand why you can't make
desks to work for everyone."
"I always have trouble using a
hand-held can opener. Gearshifts are always on the right side
of the car. Desks are made for right-handers. All of these
things make me feel left out of the world.
"I find many tools are hard to use with my
left hand. Please try to make more left-handed items,
please."
"I've found it helpful to buy kitchen
knives that aren't sharpened from the right side but from the
middle. The knives I chose for slicing thin cuts like ham or bread
I resharpen from the left. It has improved my culinary skills and
enjoyment as well as it has lessened the hazards and botched turkey
carvings when entertaining on holidays."
"I'm a rare bird! I am not only
ambidextrous but a perfect mirror writer a la Leonardo Da Vinci. If
pressed, I can write with both hands at the same time, one forwards
and one backwards. I have no neurological disease, just additional
capabilities. When raising children, I could pick up one in my arms
and stir the soup with my other hand. When I had a broken arm after
a car accident, I merely switched. As far as lefty problems; I do
knock things over, stumble quite a bit, but that may be age
related; I'm no chicken. I wow people at parties for about 5
minutes with my talent as they get free demonstrations and wonder
what else is going on in my lobes."
"Being left-handed is not all bad. It
sets us apart from others. I have a friend that is left-handed
and I am left-handed too. We are both very creative. We work
from our right side of the brain. I would rather be creative then
right- handed left brainer. Not to be rude but some
right-handers do not have the spark."
"I would like to direct this comment to
the medical community: I have no idea if these two things are
related or not, but it has crossed my mind before that perhaps
there could be a connection or a predisposition. I am very strongly
left-handed, and I have an anxiety/panic disorder. The onset of
it was in my early twenties (I am now in my late twenties). This
may be something to consider when researching anxiety
disorders."
"I am eight years old and I want to know
more about lefties. I am left-handed. Carmencita I have seven
left-handed freinds in my grade."
"I consider myself a true lefty's lefty.
There isn't much my right hand is good for other than keeping me
symmetrical. There have been at least two lefties in every
generation of my family as far back as family records go, so I got
a lot of support growing up and learning basics like tying my
shoes, but when I was learning to write, I got the impression there
was something wrong with me because it felt natural to write from
right to left, with the letters reversed. I could also easily write
upside-down and backwards. Now it seems that it is quite normal
for many lefties, just like mixing up letters in words and phone
numbers. It's great to see research like yours going on; I, for
one, feel more confident knowing I'm not alone in my
"differences"."
"I think all left-handers should stand
up for themselves. We need more support. Also I think there should
be a store meant for left-handers. In it, we can buy
left-hand equipment."
"I really would appreciate any info about
potential career choices for lefties. I've been in electronics
assembly for almost twenty years, and I'm thinking about other job
opportunities I might be missing out on. I have a lot of
self-searching to do, but any input would be helpful. Thanks,
and I think this Lefties Website is extremely cool. Keep it up,
because I'll be checking up on this alot!!! Lefties of the world
unite in spreading friendship and understanding!"
"I would like to say that I feel very
special being left-handed. I have also been labelled many other
things, mainly wierd. Left-handers are among the most creative,
intuitive and intelligent people that walk the face of this earth.
They are the poets, the inventors, the healers of the mind.
Left-handers are really aware on so many different levels all
at the same time. All I ask is that society, treat leftys for the
very unique people that they are."
"I guess I am just lucky. I'm 33 and a
lefty. My parents never made a big deal out of it, and other than
sometimes being annoyed about can openers and such, I have not
found life to be difficult at all. I guess I'm in the wrong web
site, because I don't find this to be an issue with me at all. Good
luck to all of those who feel this is something that must be
"overcome"."
"I like being left-handed because it
makes me different."
"Leftys are more creative and fun to be
around then right-handers! So just because we are leftys don't
think we can't do the things most right-handers can
do!"
"The very word "ambidextrous" is
a slight to lefties. "Dextral" means "right".
The word literally means "to have two right hands". I am
ambidextrous, but strongly favor my left hand. I can't write with
my right at all. There ought to be a word for those of
us who are predominately left-handed, yet can use our right
with equal facility. "Ambisinistral"?
"I think being left-handed has made me
stronger. It doesn't matter how a desk is setup or where a mouse
is. I write with my left but without the hook. I found that
if I turn my paper 90 degrees I could write on a right-handed
desk without a problem. Of course, this means I can't have any
books on my desk. But most of those kinds of desks don't have
enough room for books even for right-handers. My mouse is on
the right side. When I'am working on
left-handers PCs I don't even notice the difference. Where ever
the mouse is I will reach for it with the appropriate hand. I do
have problems with telling left from right. I also have a big
problem with turning screws or nuts. A teacher told me a little
rhyme: righty tighty lefty loosey. Helps a bunch when I can't
remember which way to turn something. I also have problems with
telling hot from cold. It isn't because I don't know the difference
it just seems I will say the opposite or in some cases turn the
wrong facet (usually with old houses or in Europe - a hot and
a cold knob). Is this typical? Or just a case of a lefty in a
righty world."
"I am naturally right-handed but my
older sister taught me how to write with my left hand because she
is left-handed. As a result I do some things with my right hand
like cutting, etc. Sports, I do with my left hand. I don't have
that many problems in the right-handedness of tools because I
do those things with my right hand. I write with my left and paint
and draw with both hands. When I was in second grade, I started
writing things backwards and had to do extra excercises after class
to correct that. I sometimes have trouble with telling my right
from my left."
"Growing up left-handed was at first
difficult. I was not allowed to use the left-handed scissors in
parochial grade school etc. As I got older, I did learn to adapt.
Driving a stick [shift] or using a mouse feels natural to me now.
It seems that there is a great amount of indifference to the
situation of lefties who are not somewhat ambidextrous, so please
give us our equal due."
"I grew up using desks or tables in
school. It wasn't until University that I encountered chairs with
writing arms on them. On the right, of course. However I never had
any problems with these. I placed my writing pad at right angles to
the arm, and leaned my arm across my body to write. The only
problems I had occurred when someone actually realised there were
left-handed chairs and tried to force me to use one! I found it
very uncomfortable to use and went back to the right-handed
one. A right-handed friend, however, started using the LH
chair, finding the same writing position as I was using to be more
comfortable.
"I've never had any problems with being
left-handed. Born in the '50s the teachers just had to be
mildly persuaded to let me use my "southpaw". There have
been some research showing that dyslexia could be more frequent
among us. For me though it has been the opposite -- I've
always been good with words and writing. But -- I also have
a "defect" -- I can speak (or read or write)
fluently backwards. Is there by any chance any one out there who
has the same talent?"
"I am seeking to become ambidextrous and
am currently practicing writing with my left hand....Is this a
futile attempt or will I be able to become ambidextrous with
practice?"
"I am rather disturbed to read all the
comments by left-handed individuals describing how
"discriminated against" they are. Yes, there are some
annoying little things that are unfair, like shaking hands with
someone when instinctively your left arm goes out. However, feeling
discriminated against in my opinion is only a state of mind when it
comes to left-handers. I do not believe it to be the large
issue that some of you are suggesting. I am left-handed. My
parents were very supporting and did not make a huge deal out of
it. My teachers in high school did not even comment on it (except
in first grade). Yes, not having a left-handed glove for
baseball was disturbing (my school immediately placed an order to
buy one, since I was not the only left-hander complaining), but
I've learned to cope. In fact, it has all become so natural, that
I don't think about it. And what other group of people can find
instant comradery with another simply because their hand preference
is identical. Not right-handers."
"As the only lefty in the family with 8
children, I always had a good seat at the supper table! Everyone
else preferred the corner seats so they could have a little more
room on one side, but I was the only one who automatically got the
corner! A small advantage, sure, but we need all the advantage we
can get!"
"I am a thirty-seven-year-old
left-handed woman, and I have been fortunate in that my parents
and teachers never tried to change my way of writing. I feel that
being left-handed actually makes for a more adaptable person.
Iwas a cashier at a grocery store in college and had to use my
right hand for the cash, as well I drive a standard transmission
and must use my right hand to change gears. The world is full of
little obstacles such as these, but you just have to accept them
and deal with it. Being left-handed has always made me feel
like I belong to an exclusive group, and I KNOW some of the things
that I can do with my right hand, right-handed people could
only dream of being able to do with their left hand. My only regret
is that I have two daughters and neither one is
left-handed!"
"This is a great comment page. However, I
would like to hear more from leftys on their everyday neurological
difficulties. More specifically, does anyone experience things such
as difficulty concentrating, short attention span, depression, and
(when trying to concentrate) feeling as though you are thinking in
fast-forward? I am a lefty with ambidextrous traits. I write,
drink, eat, and brush teeth with my left hand, but I throw, bat and
kick with my right (side.) I switch easily when playing tennis.
Mechanically, I've adapted well to the right-handed world,
(even chainsaws!). My apologies to those I'm about to offend but
even though I was classified as "gifted", I've often felt
that I was handicapped by the above problems."
"I am a 11-year-old lefty. I feel
that lefties are unique and I love being a lefties. I think that
lefties were and still are are treated unfairly. Lefties were
called "southpaws" and often were considered lower in
class. Some people even were forced to 'correct' their
left-handedness. I think that lefties deserve fair treatment
and rights."
"This is a comment for those whose
training programs include a lot of rote physical repetition: for
example, piano playing and martial arts training. In both these
areas, I learned to do over and over certain moves which stem from
a right"handed perspective. For example, most piano pieces put
the melody in the right hand, and most of the complicated scale
runs, too. Similarly, in martial arts, I was primarily taught to
block left and punch right. Although we were told to practise with
both hands in both of these endeavours, we nevertheless tended to
concentrate on the one side. It seems to me that left-handers
could achieve some remarkable things on a piano keyboard if there
were a program of study designed to take advantage of the greater
facility of such players' left hands. As well, in martial arts, it
seems to me that I could have benefitted a lot from training to use
my stronger arm more consistently. Being left-handed is a
disadvantage at times, but only because the majority of human
beings are right-handed. I think it would be worth our while to
look into what advantages left-handedness might bring
us."
"Why is this even a topic of discussion.
Don't we have more important things to worry about than to whether
or not being left-handed is evil? I am left-handed by no
choice of my own, not that it would matter if I did choose. Left is
right and right is right and anybody who disagrees is
WRONG!"
"Being left-handed myself. I had
classmates in grade school who use to tease me for being
left-handed. There were a couple who would try to get me upset
by urguing that I was originally right-handed which wasn't
true."
"being left-handed is the bomb"
"I feel that I have an advantage over
others because everyone tried to make me right-handed. I feel
it was the learning to cope that gave me the ability to do well in
school and to strive to get the most out of life."
"I feel that I have an advantage over
others because everyone tried to make me right-handed. I feel
it was the learning to cope that gave me the ability to do well in
school and to strive to get the most out of life."
"I'm 14 and left-handed. I eat and
write with my left hand, but growing up with a right-handed
family, I learned to play sports right-handed. The only thing
in life that seems hard for me to adjust with, is working in a
right-handed desk."
"I'm a left-handed girl and I've never
had any huge problems with that, but of course some daily life
troubles. In elementary school I was poor in handicraft, especially
crocheting when my teacher couldn't help me, but now I even knit to
both directions. In higher schools we have always had ordinary
desks, for both hands. When I was little I always used to write my
name backwards on my drawings, I still love drawing. I haven't had
learning difficulties, I like languages, maths and drawing. Some
letters or numbers I mix sometimes (but rarely) like b,d,z (luckily
they aren't common in Finnish language) and 3. Often my hand also
gets dirty when it sweeps the text I've just written (hate that!).
And I must watch what kind of a notepad I buy. Well, but I like
being lefty anyway! (but there should be a left-handed store in
Finland, too!!)"
"I started off being totally
left-handed. I began to take piano lessons at 5 years. A few
years later I began to 'convert' by using scissors
right-handed. I was very self-conscious of being
'different', and didn't like that. I believe playing the piano did
make me more of an ambidextrous person. It took me years to get out
of my shell. I wonder if it was the stigmatism of being different
or if it was my upbringing that made me so inhibited.... Being a
middle-child, I could hide easier. I'm 39 years old, and just
going to college now. Taking Psychology has been a help in
understanding this difference and appreciating the complexities of
life."
"Hi to all the lefties, South Paws, Citch
og's out there.... being an Irish leftie I have had great problems
with driving [in the States]. I am from Ireland and we use the left
side of the road to drive on, therefore the steering wheel is on
the left hand side. Since I've been in the States I found it very
hard to shift gears with my right hand and even found myself
walking to the passenger door thinking I can drive. I've found
crossing the road difficult also.
Just to add I've always found
scissors a great problem. I've gotten used to them of course but
still I use my left hand to hold them and it's so difficult and
quite sore on the hand. I'm always the one to ask to open the
bottle tops and jam jars so I suppose it works in both ways!"
"Although left-handedness is not as
prevalent as right-handedness, society should make an effort to
integrate left-handedness into skills deveopment, that is,
attempt to ignite ambidexterity at an early stage in life. Such an
idea is sure to cause conceptual integration within the human
psyche."
"I am right-handed and am tired of all
the whining from left-handers don't blame me or society, get
off your duff and DO something about it. Either change your
handedness, your attitude, or the situation. My wife of 23 years is
left-handed and is a direct answer to prayer! My wife SUSAN is
definitely in her right mind and has always kept me in-line
when I start to go ballistic. She is a candidate for sainthood. She
is my reason for living. She is NOT a whiner, she's a doer. She is
a deposit cashier for a large HMO and can accomplish whatever she
wants to do. Having known SUSAN for almost 30 yrs, I am thrilled
that she rarely mentions her "handicap" which is what I
imagine left"handedness is from all the wailing on this
page!!
"I would like to extend my sincere thanks
to the creator of this website. I have found your site to be full
of useful and important facts on handedness. Keep up the good work!
You have been a great help to our household."
"Generally accepted theory when I was
studying this subject in psychology was that only a small
percentage of people were left-handed as indicated, in your
artical [sic]. Further, that attempts to change the handedness was
vertually [sic] but not altogether impossible. By the same logic,
only a small percentage of the population is right-handed, with
the same difficulties in attempting to change handedness. The
majority of the population, is ambidextrous. Having said all that,
it has been the proclivity of the majority (right-handers) as
indicated, that has dictated the the norms, and social mores,
(middle Eastern society)... the majority of the population is not right- or
left-handed, they only appear that way, as right-handed and
this has been perpetuated by the society."
"I remember, as a child, having to use a
rightie baseball glove, and after catching the ball, removing the
glove from my left hand to throw the ball. As a kid, I was secretly
proud how adept I got at this. But when I was older and could
afford a real leftie glove, I discovered I could not catch with my
right hand! People are sometimes surprised to see the way I cut a
steak, keeping the knife in my left hand and picking up the piece
with the fork in my right hand to eat. I consider myself
ambidextrous with a dominant left. Like so many others, I learned
to adapt well."
"I am 12 and proud to be left-handed,
I went to a Jewish barmitzvah. I found it very interesting that
the books there were writen "backwards". The first page
was in the back and the last in the front I found this very
interesting and thought it would be great if they made school books
this way for leftys because I have always had problems with the way
they are at my school."
"I am 62 years old and have always had to
adjust to a right-handed world. In school, my teacher tried
unsuccessfully to switch me from left to right -- it didn't
take. I also write with a hook and angle my paper facing left.
Teacher thought I should at least face the paper to the right and
write in a vertical up and down posture. (The old
Palmer method, you know). I complied when she was watching me. When
her back was turned, I switched back to MY natural writing posture.
She never knew the difference! My writing looks like
"right"-handed writing. It is not slanted to the
left. I write in side-bound notebacks from back to front
-- the binding, therefore, is on my right. I use
top-bound notebooks upside-down. From my earliest memory,
people have always commented on "how I write" as though
I had some sort of handicap! For a time, I was a secretary and took
shorthand (upside-down, of course). I was ... good
at it! Thank God for computers -- they don't care if you
use your feet when writing."
"As a leftie for 24 years I would like to
sign off and say that I've NEVER considered my handedness except in
those few times that someone asks if I'm a leftie, to which I
usually reply either "all my life" or "no, I just
like the attention". In any event, I have seen a few items
manufactured specifically for right-handers and have always
managed to adapt with little to no fuss. I guess my point is ... I
just don't see the issue. Unless science prove that handedness has
a universal effect on people (other than people just finding things
to talk/complain/cajole about), WHO CARES? "
Troy Earl Camplin,
USA sent a long comment telling what he
learned from doing a research paper on handedness. I am not posting
this here because (1) the primary focus of this page is to
communicate short comments to the target audience of parents,
educators, employers, and (2) while he gave a nice summary of
some research, the findings he mentions are just two
hypotheses among many. The laterality research literature
harbors many inconsistencies and is quite controversial; when
designing my webpages, I decided it was better not to confuse and
perhaps misinform readers by discussing theoretical aspects of this
research, rather to state only what can be said with confidence
(see What Does Handedness Have to do
with Brain Lateralization and Hand Preference Questionnaires: One
Gets What One Asks For.)
To Patrick Gannon:
This is not a page for general announcements, but for the specified
purpose of directing comments from left-handers and
ambidextrals to the target groups. If you contact me directly, I
will be happy to offer some refererences; otherwise, you might
consider posting your query to the alt.lefthanders newsgroup.
e d u c a t o r
s
e d u c a t o r
s
e d u c a t o r
s
"Along with the school desk problem my
grades lower as a result of my handwriting. Mine slanted to the
right but I was writing with my left. All my grades were affected
by this and I had to stay after school to improve it. I am 44 now,
and still embarrassed. Thing is, my writing was more legible than
many, just not graceful."
a d v i c e . . .
Anonymous,
USA
"Preventing a child for being
left-handed it's not really something WE have control over so
what gives them the right to try to control it. Personally going
through grade school when someone noticed, I felt like a butterfly
in a jar, but in high school I found that a few times four to five
of us were put together (by innocent teachers) and then found out
we were all lefties, so in my opinion it's becoming more prevelant
and accepted. So why are some authority figures still treating it
as if it were "bad"?"
g o o d e x p e r i e n c e s . . . .
. . . . . . .
T'ai Li
Lawson
Joe Sordi,
USA
Becky Anne Christensen, Fresno,
CA, USA
beckyanne@iforge.com
Anonymous
Mitch,
USA
Sarah A. Lonnevik, USA
(bubbles@texoma.com)
Douglas Scott, USA
Cyrene Slegona,
USA
"I was fortunate enough to have a
second-grade teacher (in the 1950s) who circumvented the rules
of "right-hand only" by loosely strapping my left
elbow to my waistline and allowing me to write wrist down instead
of the usual wrist-over style of most southpaws. I believe it
encouraged my ambidexterity."
Bobette (Miller) Prell,
USA
b a c k
to o r i g i n a l e d u c a t o r c o
m m e n t s
e m p l o y e r
s
e m p l o y e r
s
e m p l o y e r
s
Alan Mendel,
USA
b a c k
to o r i g i n a l e m p l o y e r c o
m m e n t s
m a n u f a c t u
r e r s
m a n u f a c t u r e r
s
p r o d u c t
d e s i g n
"Sure as a left-hander, I have trouble
with spiral bound notebooks, can openers, door handles, and certain
non- ambidexterous butter knives, but has anyone noticed how
hard it is to use the toilet in public restrooms? Crimony, you
have to turn and twist like KRAZY!"
Anonymous,
USA
Charley B. & Allan K.,
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
Pablo Aldrett,
MEXICO
click here info on retailers.
Anonymous,
USA
I hate the way notebooks and composition books are made; especially
when the teacher requires you to write in them. I also dislike the
way ink smears. It seems as if I have more ink on me than the
paper. All of these products would make you think that
left-handers are non-existant."
Jacklyn,
USA
Anonymous,
USA
b a c k
to o r i g i n a l m a n u f a c t u r e r
c o m m e n t s
o n b e i n
g l e f t-h a n d e d
o n b e i n g
l e f t-h a n d e d
o n b e i n
g l e f t-h a n d e d
"When I watch my husband use a knife it
looks so awkward. The way he holds it is back to front and the
action looks clumsy and dangerous. I watch, waiting for him to cut
himself. The whole situation seems wrong. My husband is right
handed."
Anonymous
Bill Fletcher, Kansas,
USA
NOTE: Left-handed knives are
available; a left-hander on-line maintains a list of
retailers of left-handed items.
G. Sananes,
USA
Anonymous,
USA
The popular notion of "left-hand/right-brain" is
not neurologically accurate. In fact, at least
half of left-handers have the same pattern of
left-hemispheric specialization for language
as most right-handers. (See What does
Handedess have to do with Brain Lateralization for more
information.)
M.K.
Holder
Anonymous
Carmen Iglesias Garma,
ARGENTINA
Adrienne D.,
USA
Stuy,
USA
J. Basta,
USA
Pursue whatever you want to do! One look at the Famous Left-Handers page
illustrates the diversity of human talent. The only advice I would
offer is for strong left-handers to avoid certain
manufacturing or construction work that require you to operate
equipment "backwards", as this can be a real safety
issue.
M.K.
Holder
Anonymous
Vickie Harris,
USA
Devin Anderson,
USA
Anonymous,
USA
Mitchell Swan,
USA
Shall I open the Pandora's Box of Semantics?
When I use the phrase "left-handers and
ambidextrals", I am referring to different patterns of
handedness (I formerly used "non-right-handers",
but some also found this offensive.) Dictionaries state that
"ambidexterous" means "able to use both hands
equally well". By that definition, you could not be described
as ambidexterous, since you can't write with either hand equally
well, and thus the term should not be an affront to you. In my
research, I describe two forms of ambidexterity:
Type I Ambidexterity is someone who can perform most manual tasks
with equal facility with either hand. Type II Ambidexterity is
someone who performs roughly half of manual tasks well with the
right hand and the other half well with the left hand (dual
specialists). Of course, these are theoretical definitions; real
life is not so neat and tidy.
There is a thin
semantic line between "dextral" and "dexterous"
-- you are right that "dextral" means
"pertaining to the right", but "dexterous" has
a broader meaning, "skillfull or adroit in the use of the
hands". So, following your logical argument, the politically
correct adjective should be "ambidexterous" rather than
"ambidextral" (I confess I use "ambidextral"
because it sounds better in plural form than
"ambidexterous"). I find it surprising that you would
prefer "ambisinistral", since
"sinistral" derives from SINSTER and is one of the most
biased terms for left-handedness!
M.K.
Holder
Anonymous,
USA
Ellen Roberts,
USA
Anonymous,
USA
I find most LH products unnecessary, as I
have adapted so well to using RH in odd positions. I use my mouse
on the left side of the keyboard with my hand curled over it so my
index finger is on the correct button. It alarms me that ergonomic
mice are not available in LH, as they are totally unusable for
lefties. One solution -- insist on a trackball. The only
thing I do with my LH can opener is get RH people to use it so that
they get some idea of our problems. But I LOVE my LH ruler. I never
was very good at measuring backwards. RH people think LH rulers are
a joke..."
Fran Myers, New South Wales,
AUSTRALIA
Anonymous,
SWEDEN
Statistically, there is a greater incidence of left-handers and
ambidexters among dyslexics and also among gifted math and science
students. Many left-handers can read/write fluently
backwards.
M.K.
Holder
Anonymous
You can probably learn to scribble with the non-preferred hand
if you practice enough, but will likely never be as legible or as
fast as with your preferred hand. Viewers, please note that this
page is NOT for general questions such as this, but to address
useful comments to the target groups.
M.K.
Holder
Kristin Alicia Godfrey,
USA
I'd guess that most left-handers have learned to
ignore minor inconviences -- this page is not for them.
This page was designed to (a) better inform right-handers and
(b) share coping strategies so that others may enjoy the same type
of support as you have!
M.K.
Holder
Anonymous,
USA
Tracy Davis,
CANADA
Anonymous,
USA
A reminder that the purpose of this page is to offer insight and
coping strategies for the targeted audience; you might try posting
such a general query to the alt.lefthanders use group, to
other such discussion groups, or at least giving your e-mail so
that people may contact you directly.
M.K.
Holder
Emily,
USA
Anonymous,
CANADA
Jeff McCoy,
USA
Read the purpose of web
page.
M.K.
Holder
Kitty Marsh, California,
USA
Terra Searcey,
USA
Anonymous
Anonymous
Dawn Waner,
USA
Vasuri (=left-handed in
Finnish), FINLAND
Nancy, Maine,
USA
Maxxi,
IRELAND
Anthony B. Annechino,
USA
Historically, there have been both pedagogical
and popular movements arguing for presumed benefits to be derived
from encouraging ambidexterity. However, there is no evidence that
encouraging children (or adults) to become ambidexterous has
resulted in "conceptual integration", or any other
notable benefit.
M.K.
Holder
Anonymous,
USA
Please read the statement
of purpose for this page. What you call "whining"
is "doing something about it"
-- by (a) helping educators/employers interact more
productively with students/employees and by (b) publishing various
coping mechanisms and musical/sports tips. (See also the next
comments.)
M.K.
Holder
Cheryl O'Dell, New Jersey,
USA
J. Lyons, California,
USA
Evidence from over 160 years of
research into handedness indicates that human populations across
the world are overwhelmingly right-handed, not ambidexterous as
you suggest. However, the terms used ("left-handed",
"right-handed", "ambidexterous") do not
have have standard, empirically-based definitions, but are
based on various theoretical criteria used by researchers; my work
addresses this ambiquity.
M.K.
Holder
Vic Behan,
USA
Louis, California,
USA
Barb Stone,
USA
Tom Keyes
(griffon4@pacbell.net), USA
Glad to hear intrinsic bias is not a problem for you
personally. However, as evidenced by comments to these pages, many
people do experience problems. They care. And as an
educator, I care about anything that interferes with a students
educational and developmental process. Please see the statement of purpose for
this site.
M.K.
Holder
Gary Marcellus,
CANADA posted a question;
I'll be happy to reply if you
will provide your e-mail address. This page is designed for
readers to direct comments to specific target groups; other
questions/correspondence should be directed to M.K. Holder via
e-mail (remember to include your e-mail address if
asking a question!)
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NOTE: Unsolicted mail is answered once a month. Please do not ask for help with homework, see instead my online Research Guide or or this page's bibliography.