Learning the nuances of Deaf Culture can be difficult for new American Sign Language students. Below you can find some tips and insights about interacting in the Deaf community submitted
July 7, 2021
Start ASL Articles
Year: 2019
Juliette Gordon Low was a deaf woman who was best known for being the founder of the Girl Scouts organization. Juliette Gordon Low Articles by Students Who is your favorite
February 15, 2021
Baby Sign Language
12 Easy Steps for Communication with Your Baby Let me guess…your baby is crying uncontrollably and you want to know what he wants so your ears can take a break.
July 14, 2023
Ludwig Van Beethoven was completely deaf for the last part of his life and yet managed to produce some of the greatest music of all time. Beethoven Articles by Students
February 15, 2021
Abbe de L’Epee, a French Catholic priest, founded the first social and religious association for deaf people around 1750. L’Epee’s full name was Abbe Charles Michel de L’Epee and he
February 15, 2021
LeRoy Colombo was a famous deaf lifeguard entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for saving 907 lives. Leroy Colombo Articles by Students LeRoy Colombo by Leah Ward (Williamsburg,
February 15, 2021
William Stokoe – or William C. Stokoe Jr. – changed the course of American Sign Language history. Before Stokoe, ASL was not seen as a real language. It was seen
February 15, 2021
Laurent Clerc played a significant part in the history of American Sign Language and was the first deaf teacher of the deaf in America. He was also among the first
February 15, 2021
Laura Redden Searing was born in 1839 and is best known for being the first deaf female journalist. She was sent by the St. Louis Republican to cover the American Civil
February 15, 2021
Laura Bridgman was the first deaf-blind person to learn language. When you think about the first deaf-blind child to be educated, you will most likely think of Helen Keller. In
February 15, 2021
Helen Keller is an internationally acclaimed author and lecturer. And that is so amazing because she was deaf and blind. When I was in elementary school, we learned all about
February 15, 2021
Sean Berdy is a deaf actor, comedian and dancer. He was in Sandlot 2, Legend of the Mountain Man, The Deaf Family, and is best known for his role as
February 15, 2021
A big event that occurred in Deaf history was the Deaf President Now (DPN) movement. DPN was a huge protest at Gallaudet University that started in March of 1988. The
February 15, 2021
Julia Brace was a deaf-blind girl who was born before both Laura Bridgman and Helen Keller. She was successfully educated, but lost the credit as the first to Helen Keller.
February 15, 2021
Heather Whitestone McCallum is known as “Miss Deaf America” (even though Miss Deaf America is a different pageant). She was the first deaf woman to be crowned Miss America in
February 15, 2021
George Veditz was a former president of the National Association of the Deaf of the United States and was one of the first to film American Sign Language. George William
February 15, 2021
When Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet died in 1851, his youngest son Edward Miner Gallaudet continued his legacy in deaf education, played a big part in the history of American Sign Language, and
February 15, 2021
Step 3 – Start Talking Are you ready to start signing? This is so exciting! It’s now time to choose the signs you are going to start with. Go ahead
July 19, 2023
ASL Dictionary
A great introduction to learning ASL is studying American Sign Language phrases. While doing this, you can get a great taste of vocabulary as well as begin to understand the
August 11, 2023
Step 9 – Advancing Your child is growing and advancing! How exciting! You are now probably combining signs and speech with your child. This can greatly enhance his vocabulary as
July 19, 2023
Step 6 – More Signs Moving on from basic signs you learned in Step 3, choose some secondary words from the vocabulary link below. Try to branch out a little
July 19, 2023
In this unit sample of the free online sign language classes, you will be learning about verbs. Conversation 1.5 Read this outline, and then watch the conversation in action in the video
July 17, 2023
In this free sign language unit sample of our ASL 1 course, you will be learning basic signs and see a conversation in action. Unit 1 Vocabulary – First Signs
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of our free sign language classes, you will be learning about inflection. Inflection (Adverbs) Adverbs can modify an adjective, a verb, or another adverb to indicate
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of our free sign language lesson, you will be learning about pluralization. Pluralization In English, nouns become plural with the “-s” or “-es” suffix. However, ASL
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample, you will learn American Sign Language pronouns. Personal Pronouns Personal pronouns in ASL are signed by pointing with your index finger toward a person, object, or
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you learn American Sign Language, you will be learning advanced role shifting techniques. Role Shifting with an Object Role shifting is also used to show
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample, you will learn ASL word order. Word Order ASL sentences follow a “TOPIC” “COMMENT” structure. This is the same as the English “subject” “predicate” structure. However,
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you learn ASL, you will be learning about regional sign variation. Regional Sign Variation Presentation In the video below, you will see a short presentation
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you learn ASL online, you will be learning how to convey distance. Conveying Distance You can convey distance with non-manual behaviors. These behaviors specify whether
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you learn sign language free, you will learn more classifiers. Conversation 1.6 Read this outline, and then watch the conversation in action in the video below. Try
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you learn sign language online, you will learn about the five sign parameters. Vocabulary – School & Education The Five Sign Parameters Just like how
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you learn sign language online, you will learn how to sign object locations. Object Locations Another way to practice classifiers and giving directions is by
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample, you will be learning American Sign Language lexicalized fingerspelling. Vocabulary – Food & Drink Lexicalized Fingerspelling Lexicalized fingerspelling (sometimes called “loan signs”) is fingerspelling that looks
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you are learning American Sign Language, you will be learning how to sign room descriptions. Room Descriptions A good way to practice giving directions and
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you are learning sign language, you will learn how to sign facts and myths. Facts and Myths in ASL In ASL 3, you learned the
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample, you will learn more about the five sign parameters because you are learning sign language online. The Five Sign Parameters – Part 2 The Five Sign
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you are learning sign language online, you will be learning how to tell stories with classifiers. Storytelling with Classifiers Presentation In the presentation below, you
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of our online ASL course, you will learn about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Presentation In the presentation below, you
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of the sign language classes, you will learn about classifiers and 2-digit numbers. Classifiers Classifiers are a very broad part of ASL, so we will cover
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of the free American Sign Language classes, you will be learning the basics of how to construct narratives. Conversation 3.2 Read this outline, and then watch the
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of the free American Sign Language course, you will be learning how to sign amenities and features. Conversation 3.6 Read this outline, and then watch the conversation in
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of the American Sign Language free classes, you will be watching ASL in action in a conversation. Conversation 2.2 Read this outline, and then watch the conversation in
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of the free American Sign Language instruction, you will be learning about temporal aspect. Temporal Aspect Temporal aspect means showing how the verb is being done
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of the online sign language lessons, you will be learning more sentence types. Conversation 2.1 Read this outline, and then watch the conversation in action in the video
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you learn sign language online, you will be learning about ASL questions. Sentence Types: Questions There are a few different sentence types in ASL. These
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of our American Sign Language online classes, you will dive right into more complex conversations. Conversation 3.1 Read this outline, and then watch the conversation in action in
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of our American Sign Language classes, you will watch ASL in action in a conversation. Conversation 2.3 Read this outline, and then watch the conversation in action in
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of the ASL online classes, you will be learning about numeral incorporation. Numeral Incorporation Numeral incorporation means incorporating a number into a sign. Just like how
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you learn ASL online, you will be learning about idioms in ASL. ASL Idioms Presentation In the video below, you will see a short presentation
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of our free online sign language classes, you will be learning how to sign accident narratives. Accident Narratives There may come a time when you need
July 17, 2023
Geronimo Cardano played a significant role in the history of sign language–particularly in the history of deaf education. Cardano was an Italian mathematician and physician. He discovered in the 1500s
February 15, 2021
In this unit sample as you learn sign language free, you will be learning how to give information. Giving Information When presenting facts, there are certain structures you can use
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you are learning sign language, you will learn how to sign opinions and debating. Conversation 4.6 Read this outline, and then watch the conversation in action in
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you are learning sign language, you will be learning about ASL interpreting. Conversation 4.10 Read this outline, and then watch the conversation in action in the video
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample as you learning sign language online free, you will be learning how to tell a story. Storytelling Storytelling is very prominent with languages that do not
July 17, 2023
Linda Bove was born on November 30, 1945 in Garfield, New Jersey to deaf parents. She majored in library science at Gallaudet University and received her bachelor’s degree in 1968.
February 15, 2021
In this unit sample of the online sign language classes, you will be learning how to sign sign language games. Sign Language Games Signing the rules to sign language games
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of the online ASL classes, you will be learning about handshape stories and Deaf jokes. Deaf/ASL Art and Literature Lesson The Deaf highly value the literature
July 17, 2023
Dummy Hoy made history as the first deaf major league baseball player. He’s also not famous just because he was deaf; he was also a remarkably talented and skilled baseball
February 15, 2021
Deaf History
The history of American Sign Language didn’t truly begin until 1814 when deaf education was introduced to the United States. There is virtually no information about American Sign Language history
July 14, 2023
Sue Thomas was a deaf undercover specialist for the FBI. She was the inspiration for the TV series Sue Thomas: FBEye, an international speaker, author, and founder of Kennels of
February 15, 2021
Truly Inspirational There have been several famous deaf actors in the media that have made significant contributions to the deaf community and hearing society. If not for them and their
February 15, 2021
Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet is probably the most influential person in the history of American Sign Language. Gallaudet, along with Laurent Clerc, was responsible for starting the first free public
February 15, 2021
Hearing loss is more like “Deafness Gain” to people who are part of Deaf Culture. The loss of hearing is actually a very small part of being a Deaf person.
February 15, 2021
Becoming an American Sign Language interpreter is a very popular choice for many ASL students. People choose to become interpreters because they love American Sign Language, love Deaf people, and
June 12, 2024
ASL Dictionary
We have compiled a great collection of videos showing the top 150 basic sign language words. These are the words that you should learn first. Learning the signs for these
July 19, 2023
Andrew Foster is a very important person in Deaf history. He was the first African American Deaf person to earn a Bachelor’s Degree from Gallaudet University and is known as
February 15, 2021
Marlee Matlin was born in Morton Grove, Illinois on August 24th, 1965. After she came down with the German Measles at the age of eighteen months, she lost her hearing
February 15, 2021
