Left-Handed and Right-Handed in SW

[Valerie Sutton]

SignWriting List
January 15, 2006

Juliette Dalle from France wrote:
> I work in a deaf school, this year, one introduced the SW into the  
> classes of LSF (5ans, 6-8 years and 9 years). I translated some  
> signs, little stories, and poems in SW. However we compare to a  
> problem : the half of the deaf pupils is left-handed. They have  
> hard to understand the signs right-handed. I was obliged to create  
> cards (insulated signs) for the left-handed children. The  
> professors asked me if you knew the same problem. If yes did you  
> find a solution? (to color the hands or the movements? etc.).

Hello Juliette and Everyone!
Yes. SignWriting can be written for left-handed signers or right  
handed-signers. The writing system can be written either way, so if  
you have a lot of students who are left handed, then you could have  
two of everything...one for the right-handed and one for the left- 
handed students...That is a lot of work, but it can be done if you  
feel it is necessary...

Maybe later, as your students become older, they can start to read  
both left and right-handed documents with no trouble...I know I can  
read both with no problem...it is a matter of skill, and your young  
students are sooo young that I think in time you will see they will  
become used to both and the problem will go away, as they get older  
and more skilled in reading.

See attached diagram for instructions on how to change the arrows in  
SignPuddle from right to left...The white arrowhead mean the left  
handed arrow, and the dark arrowhead mean the right...


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