Need to complain to school

izoomzoom

I have an issue at my DD's nursery / school.

I feel that she is being discriminated against because she is left handed and they are not prepared to make adaptations to the environment (changing / providing left handed equipment) and I need to take it further than the teacher.

Do you think I should ask for a meeting or do this as a letter, to the headteacher or head of dept ?????

balletshoes

well I certainly don't see any harm in arranging a meeting with your nursery manager/teacher to discuss it, I'm not sure its discrimination though. My niece is left-handed, and has never had left-handed utensils provided for her by schools.

mildred1978

I'm left handed and am intrigued to know what on earth you expect to be provided for her?

Emmzi

there is no protection in law for the left handed so I wouldnt go in shouting about your rights. What do you think she should have left handed? pen and paper are pretty universal?

elisebutt65

I thought pencils and crayons were pretty much ambidextrous??? If you want to get her the special left handed Stabilo Pens, then surely that's up to you? Schools don't supply special right handed pens so why should they for lefties?
Or you could buy her these?

My lad tried the Stabilo pens but prefers using a normal bic now. The only time he, and I kicked off with the school, was when he sprained his wrist, he had a splint and couldn't write so the teachers made him write (or try to) with his right hand.

izoomzoom

Emmzi wrote: »

there is no protection in law for the left handed so I wouldnt go in shouting about your rights. What do you think she should have left handed? pen and paper are pretty universal?

Computer mouse changed for left handed use.

And there are lots of legislation in place .... mainly calls for reasonable adjustments to be considered.

A few clicks on the control panel of a computer to change the mouse from right to left handed use is reasonable in my book but not in their's.

My DD struggles with right handed stuff, and why should she ?

vax2002

I had a friend at school who would get caned for writing with his left hand and caned again for writing scruffily with his right, at 15 I received a juvenile caution for.. well lets put it this way "physically educating" the teacher in question that he had hit him enough.
He did leave him alone after that.

RIP Derek I did make it to year 2001, wish you did as well.

SingleSue

I am a left handed person and have never used specifically left handed items...I even use the mouse on the right hand side because that was how I learnt how to do it (in a job interview of all places!).

I have found not having the specialist items better in the long run as unfortunately, we do live in a right handed world and we all need to learn to adapt and in childhood would seem a pretty good place to start.

N.B I had a paint brush snatched out of my left hand at the age of 4 and told to only use my right hand - I painted the teacher and the surrounding area whilst saying I could not control that hand and thereafter, they allowed me to use my left hand (even though they did think it was evil....this was in 1975!)

WolfSong2000

I'm left handed and manage perfectly well with a right-handed mouse. Never had any special equipment at school, either. It may take your daughter a little longer to get the hang of, but to be honest that's not the end of the world. If anything it'll put her in good stead for the future. As long as they're not refusing to let her even attempt to write with her left hand, which I can't see them doing, then I fail to see the issue.

Kay_Peel

"Reasonable adjustments" need to be in place for disabled people and those with temporary or chronic medical conditions like asthma, epilepsy, diabetes etc. I don't think it extends to the able-bodied.

Why not approach the Parents Association to see whether they can raise funds to buy equipment, like mouses, adapted for left-handers?

neverdespairgirl

elisebutt65 wrote: »

The only time he, and I kicked off with the school, was when he sprained his wrist, he had a splint and couldn't write so the teachers made him write (or try to) with his right hand.

The same happened to me the other way round - the school tried to make me write with my left hand when I broke my right wrist. I simply couldn't do it.