Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) used World Left-Handers’ Day 2026 to promote inclusion, awareness and understanding, bringing staff and students together to explore the everyday realities of living and working in a predominantly right-handed world.
Hosted by Library and Information Services, the programme combined professional insight, personal testimonies and practical activities to highlight the experiences of left-handed individuals and the importance of creating environments that accommodate different ways of interacting with the world.
Patrick Motiang, Acting Senior Librarian: Information Services, welcomed attendees and introduced a programme focused on awareness, understanding and inclusion.
The guest speaker, Mahlako Makhubela, Lecturer in the Department of Occupational Therapy, provided an occupational therapy perspective on left-handedness. She explained that while left-handedness is not a limitation, many everyday environments, tools and activities are designed predominantly for right-handed users.
“Left-handedness is not a limitation; however, we need to recognise that many of the environments, tools and activities we use every day are designed with right-handed people in mind,” said Makhubela.
She noted that seemingly ordinary tasks, including writing, cutting with scissors and using certain equipment, can become challenging when environments are not designed to accommodate individual needs. From an occupational therapy perspective, she emphasised the importance of understanding how people engage with their everyday surroundings and adapting activities where necessary.
The “Living Left-Handed” testimony session provided staff and students with an opportunity to share personal experiences. Kwena Moloto, Librarian: Technical Services (Cataloguing), reflected on the social challenges he experienced growing up as a left-hander, including pressure from his family to navigate being different.
Second-year Physiotherapy student Success Baloyi offered a student perspective, highlighting the practical challenges of being left-handed, including her experience learning to drive. Her reflections reinforced the importance of recognising how everyday systems and activities can affect people differently.
The programme then moved from discussion to practical engagement. Participants were challenged to perform familiar activities using their non-dominant hand, including writing, drawing and using scissors. The exercises demonstrated how seemingly simple activities can become difficult when approached in unfamiliar ways.
Facilitated by SMU alumni Moalosi Makoea and Bakang Tsubane, the interactive session encouraged participation while reinforcing the programme’s central message: inclusion requires more than recognising differences; it requires understanding and responding to them.
The commemoration concluded with closing remarks from Mittah Masilela, Senior Librarian in the Acquisitions Department, who thanked the speakers, participants and organisers for contributing to the programme.
For SMU, World Left-Handers’ Day provided an opportunity to advance its commitment to respect, diversity and an inclusive university community. By combining occupational therapy expertise with lived experiences and practical learning, the programme encouraged greater empathy and awareness of barriers that may otherwise go unnoticed.
The commemoration affirmed that creating an inclusive environment begins with recognising individual differences and ensuring that everyone can participate meaningfully. In doing so, SMU continues to promote a university culture grounded in respect, dignity, student-centredness and Ubuntu.
By Dimakatso Modise
