Left-handed children comprise approximately 10% of the global population and often face challenges in a predominantly right-handed world of education. Teachers are also not trained in inclusive pedagogies for left-handedness. This is especially a distressful situation for our very young children in their early childhood in the Foundation Phase. Not only do they deal with poverty, but also discrimination on this level. Public awareness on this ongoing discrimination in schools and communities against left-handedness is not very present in post-Apartheid South Africa, and it is one of the invisibilised areas of rights to be addressed in our Thirty Years of Democracy.
To address these issues, the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (CERT) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), in collaboration with the African Left-Handers Foundation (ALHF), hosted the Harmony of Hands Indaba and Festival launch event at the University’s Kingsway Campus.
The hybrid event, which was attended by members of the University community, members of ALHF, the media and other interested parties from across the world, aimed to commemorate International Left Handers Day, which is observed annually on August 13. This day, initiated by Dean Campbell 48 years ago, aims to highlight the experiences of left-handed communities and raise awareness about the challenges they face due to societal biases. The event also gave the two parties an opportunity to share more information about this partnership.
This initiative aims to tackle left-handed children’s difficulties through research and structured educational interventions over the longer-term, catalysing the public awareness of the issue through an innovative approach through the medium of the Creative Arts. UJ’s Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture (FADA) will also be part of the collaboration to bring the project to life.
Professor June Bam-Hutchison, Director of UJ’s CERT, stressed the importance of understanding and accommodating left-handed individuals. “Neglecting the needs of left-handed people can lead to practical difficulties and barriers in everyday activities, mental health distress from a young age, in children’s first encounter in school. from using tools designed for right-handers to potential health risks from non-optimised products. By acknowledging the uniqueness of left-handed individuals, we promote diversity and foster a society that values and respects differences, ultimately creating a more inclusive environment for all, starting with the training of teachers of the young in schools.”
The Harmony of Hands Indaba and Festival will be held on 17 September 2024. This hybrid event aims to promote equity and equality in handedness, and will include participation from musicians and music educators in London and Paris. The focus will be on inclusive education rights for children, particularly during their early childhood and foundational education phases.
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