Left-Handed People Qualify for Disability-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
A viral report claims that left-handed people are now eligible to receive Social Security benefits to compensate for their “disability.”
The Truth:
There’s bad news for lefties: They don’t qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
That rumor started with the fake news website Mouth Wire in February 2015. The story went viral in January 2016 as lefties apparently celebrated news that, “As of February 1st, people suffering from severe cases of left-handedness may be eligible to receive Social Security benefts.” The story goes on to report:
President of the Left-Handed Nondiscrimination Association (LHNA) Mary Cavil told us, “We’ve been fighting a long time for this day. Left-handedness is associated with creativity and going against the grain, but what people don’t seem to realize is that many of us struggle with everyday tasks like adjusting the car stereo or using a can opener. And others are subject to harsh discrimination, being told by school teachers that writing left-handed is a sign of the devil.”
Of course, the Left-handed Nondiscrimination Association (LHNA) does not exist. Nor does the “Justice for Dexterously Challenged Act” cited in the article.
Mouth Wire identifies itself as a “purely satirical web publication intended for entertainment purposes only,” so don’t believe anything you read there. But, in case your wondering, doctors have actually looked into whether or not being left-handed is a handicap, and they found the answer to be “yes and no.”
Dr. Adrian Flatt of the Baylor University Medical Center explored ideas about a “left-handed handicap” in a paper published in 2008. The paper explored disadvantages to lefties who live in a “right-handed world.” Turns out, lefties are far more susceptible to hand injuries.
Left-handed industrial workers are five times more susceptible to finger amputations. Lefties also face everyday hassles like right-handed gearshifts, scissors, can openers and even traffic patterns that favor right-handed turning.
Still, even though lefties deserve some sympathy, left-handedness is far from a disability.