Left handed mouse

[alexknight]

some one has asked me to supply a child with a left handed mouse. I wasn't sure if there is such a thing? They all seem the same to me.

 

They assured me that their old school supplied them with one.

 

I suggested that we could alter the left and right hand mouse buttons so they were switched but can I do that just for that pupils settings and if so how?

 

Thanks

 

Alex

[strawberry]

they're symmertrical surely?

 

be weary of them asknig for a left handed screwdriver next

[mattx]

Anyone got any Skyhooks ?

 

http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/mtpsoft/swapmousebuttons/

 

Just out of interest, both my kids are left handed - they use the mouse in their left hand but I have left the buttons how they are.....

[Joanne]

the pupil would have to have a roaming profile for this to work and the mouse settings changed.

 

if you can't do that, tell them the kid will have to use the buttons the other way round in their left hand.

 

We don't get any complaints about that here....

[mrforgetful]

Only some of the high end ergonomic mice are right handed only as far as I'm aware, some of those come left handed.

 

Cheapo budget mice though are symetrical.

 

Unless she means swapping left/right buttons?

[PEO]

control pannel mouse properties on buttons tab

 

tick the box marked switch primary and secondary buttons. you would probably have to set a script up to change this when they log on to a machine. and a script to switch beck when they log off.

 

as strawberry has already said. most mice a symetrical

[Geoff]

Most mice are symetrical. However some people like to swap the mouse buttons round too. So you'll need to let them have access to the mouse controls (in control panel) so they can do that. Or failing that, do some registry hackery.

[OutToLunch]

Pick up mouse. Move to left hand side of PC. Voila!

 

Does the student really want left and right click switched over? It would surely be more confusing when using other PCs without the special mouse...

[webman]

And if they're still not happy - just make them learn the keyboard shortcuts :D

[PEO]

My Labtec usb SUPER CHARGED optical mouse is symetrical

[alexknight]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

Leaning more towards altyering the pupils roaming profile. How would I do this to reflect the mouse button swap over?

 

I did show a mouse to the person and it was quite plain that the mouse was symetrical, but they were not convinced.

 

They work at the school and have a child here. I quite agree with the comments as I have never been asked this before but you can just imagine the 'but they have to have one' 'it will effect their education' 'they will be mentally scarred for life' type of comments.

 

What we have to put up with eh.

 

Alex

[mattx]

Try this as a .CMD or part of their logon script...

 

RunDll32.exe USER32.DLL,SwapMouseButton

[plexer]

I'm left handed and even though I use the mouse left handed I don't change the buttons over I do however left click with my second finger.

 

Ben

[Pete10141748]

I often see a mouse or two on the left-handed side of the keyboard after a class has been in the ICT Suite. Never had anyone ask for the buttons to be swapped over.

 

Far as I can see, learning to use the mouse is a new skill; as the child has no pre-concieved idea of what buttons do what, they'll just learn to use it left-handed without changing the buttons round.

 

As for requesting a (physically) left-handed mouse, I'd have to laugh at the person who made the request. Most cheap mice (which schools seems to use!) are symmetrical, so where's the need?

 

Failing that, tell the teacher to provide her child with his (or her) own "left handed mouse" to bring to school with him/her.

 

I know for certain there's no way I'd spend what little budget I get on a such a daft piece of child-specific hardware (except for SEN, but being left-handed doesn't count in that I'm sure!), especially with it being something we have 15+ spares of in our office!

 

Pete

[ninjashadow]

Hi I am Having this exat same problem. I have the batch file to change the mose to left handed configuration but the teacher concerned wants a second batch file to change back to right handed and this is where i am battling. So far what i can find is that you need to go into control panel and change it that way. any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Tia

David

[jallsop]

Hi I am Having this exat same problem. I have the batch file to change the mose to left handed configuration but the teacher concerned wants a second batch file to change back to right handed and this is where i am battling. So far what i can find is that you need to go into control panel and change it that way. any help would be greatly appreciated

 

Tia

David

 

Maybe try a little bit of script attached to the log off script for this user, which swaps it back. Even go as rough as VBA.

[ninjashadow]

sorry i just realised that i forgot to mention that it is a common profile as the kids are very young. Grade 0-3's thats why i am looking at a batch file.

[elsiegee40]

 

Just out of interest, both my kids are left handed - they use the mouse in their left hand but I have left the buttons how they are.....

 

I can't help feeling that this is the solution. I'm all for helping people whho have difficulties, but think that lefties would do better long term to feel comfortable with a standard mouse setup so that they can use a computer anywhere. The only necessary change being to move the mouse to the left side of the computer.

 

OP says this youngster is very young and so they will adapt, it's not like scissors that won't work in the wrong hand, so maybe a diplomatic word with a teacher or SENCO to back this view would help?

[ijk]

We faced a similar situation at our school and found Dmouse which solved it for us.

[witch]

I agree - lefties should just move the mouse to the other side and be aware of which button is which

After all, they can't change the mouse over on a netbook or laptop, can they?

 

As @elsiegee40 says, other than scissor, lefties need to cope in a mostly-right-handed world. I know many lefties,including mrwITch who use their mouse right-handed because that is how they have always done it. (Looking up at him now, I see he is scrolling on the pad using his right hand and clicking with his left!)

Few left handed people restring their guitars and play upside down - yes, except Paul McCartney, I know. I play an instrument where the power is all in the left hand which could be an issue for right-handers - but it doesn't seem to matter. Many lefties use their knife and fork in the traditional right-handed configuration as well.

[unixman_again]

The o/s should make it easy for people to change the peripherals as they want. If people want to use a left handed mouse with swapped buttons they should be able to without having to jump through hoops. I'm right handed, but I've used a trackball on left, with swapped buttons for the last ten years or so. Similarly, if I want to use a Dvorak keyboard, I shouldn't have to jump though hoops for that either.

[elsiegee40]

But the reality is that most shared computers cannot have their mouse setup easily changed. In a busines, it is easier to be able to hop onto any computer and use it (especially if you're the NM!) than have to soend any amount of time, however small, having to swap things about.

 

Lefties manage to drive cars that are configured for righties without ever changing them, they can use a mouse with their let hand without swapping buttons too.

[ninjashadow]

Hi Unfortunately the parent is being quiet insistant, they are going as far as to blame things on the fact that the student is struggling with the mouse. Unfortunatly our senco have humored the parents so it has been left up to the teacher and now to us to sort it out

[jallsop]

I would ask the parent what mouse they use at home. If there is not a computer in the house, then i would question where they learned that there was such a thing. If it remains an issue, then i would buy a simple flat track pad, with the buttons like you would get in a laptop, and tell them to use that.

 

Simply fitting an ergonomic mouse, for left handed people isn't going to make it any easier for the child as they grow up, as the mouse is not going to be with us much longer, as we are moving to touch screens.

[fiza]

Im a leftie and never had a problem. In fact as I type this the mouse is sitting on the righthand side of the keyboard and I use my right hand to control it. I know we are talking about children here but what happens later on when a teacher or tutor says "now everyone use right-click to get the context menu up"? "left-click" and "right-click" are ingrained in computer speak. Its just going to confuse the kids later on.