I teach in a community college, in a city campus where our student community is extremely diverse. In all the classrooms where I teach there are desks shaped to accommodate handedness. Naturally, given the fact that the majority of people are right-handed, the majority of the desks are shaped for them and there are very few left-handed desks. Usually there are more left-handed students in the classroom than there are left-handed desks, so that some of them are forced to sit in right-handed desks.
Almost every semester I draw attention to this. I ask the right-handed students how they would like to have to site in a left-handed desk. Usually they are shocked at the discomfort that would be involved. I then ask them if they have ever noticed when their left-handed colleagues have to make a similar adaptation. Almost universally they have not.
I use this exercise to point out that many majorities in the U.S. consist of around 10-13% of the population, just as do lefties (of whom I am one). I follow up by drawing a parallel between the unawareness of most of the righties as to the predicament of their leftie friends and the very similar majority unawareness of the situations in which other minorities usually find themselves. I notice the smiles and nods from minority students when I make this point.
The students in general seem to find it very relevant. I hope that they remember it.
