After reviewing some of the common items and activities for which lefties need to adjust, we might want to address the general issues of left-handed problems and their solutions.
"Why are some of these things considered problems?" you may ask, if you are right-handed. I guess you have to walk in a left-hander's shoes to fully understand.
If you could- get your hands on some of these lefty-oriented products, and try to use them with your left hand
- try to use left-handed scissors with your right hand, and cut with them for any length of time
- scribble right-to-left for a page or so using your right hand, with either a pen or pencil.
Basically, lefties learn to live with much of this, and after a while it's not a big deal.
When it's really a problem is in the cases where left-handed awkwardness causes
- fatigue
- poor performance or inability to perform
- injury
Yes, there have been people fired from their jobs because they were left-handed, and could not use right-oriented equipment to perform their jobs as well as right-handers could.
What overall solutions could help lefties?
- Left-handers are not disabled, nor do they wish to be classified as such. They don't fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Perhaps OSHA rulings would help. It seems to be a good idea to design machinery, tools and so on in a hand-neutral fashion, whenever possible. - If there was a standardized way to survey people to determine just how many were left-handed, or left-sided for various tasks, then at least we'd have a number upon which to base any recommended accommodations.
- The Census might work, but this would probably be too much for the door-to-door census takers, who have enough on their hands. Otherwise, we'd have to take the word of the self-reported lefties. Some may be left-sided, or do things other than writing with the left hand, and yet not consider themselves to be other than right-handed.
- Screenings at physical examinations: An accurate measure of handedness might have a better chance of happening there, with a carefully constructed questionnaire or physical test. But not everyone gets a physical exam often, or sometimes ever.
Do left-handers need to organize and flex some political power? Perhaps that is the only way to really make changes, but not all lefties really care enough to participate. Groups have been formed for this purpose in the past, but nothing came of them.
Time to try again? Maybe! If you have any better ideas, I'd like to hear them. You can email me at the link for comments and questions below.
