Martha’s Vineyard
by Nicole Colterman (08/27/2020) Martha’s Vineyard, home of astonishing landscapes, fishing towns, marvelous summer homes and one of the first known deaf communities in the United States. From the late […]
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A World of Ableism; Challenges of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community During a Global Pandemic
by Maddie Hammer (08/24/2020) Since its discovery in December, the widespread outbreak of SARS-CoV2 has infiltrated every aspect of our lives. The outbreak duration is still ongoing and there have […]
Sordo
by Rocio Caceres (7/23/2020) Sordo or The Silent War (English title) is a Spanish movie released in 2019 and directed by Alfonso Cortés-Cavanillas. Sordo’s genre falls between a few categories like drama, western, thriller, […]
Deaf Culture Values: Deafness
One of the most beautiful aspects of Deaf Culture is the value Deaf people put on their own deafness (their hearing loss). This is known throughout the Deaf community as […]
Start ASL Zoom Hangouts
Start ASL offers ASL Zoom Hangouts hosted by our ASL Instructor, Jasmine Solis, for our Online Course students. During this 45-minute Zoom Hangout, you will have the opportunity to practice […]
Deaf Culture Values: Sign Language
American Sign Language is the most highly regarded asset of Deaf Culture. ASL is the natural language of the Deaf, so a strong goal of Deaf advocacy is to preserve […]
Deaf Culture Values: Art and Literature
The Deaf highly value the literature and art of their culture. Deaf Culture art and literature is how the Deaf share their values with future generations – their values of […]
Start ASL Group Practice Sessions
Start ASL offers Group Practice Sessions hosted by our ASL Instructor, Jasmine Solis, for our Online Course students. These topic-based 1-hour sessions will give you the opportunity to practice ASL […]
Start ASL Virtual Office Hours
Start ASL offers Virtual Office Hours with our Start ASL Instructor for our Gold level Online Course students. During these meetings, you can discuss challenges you are facing with the […]
Start ASL Live Q&A Sessions
Start ASL offers Live Q&A Video Sessions hosted by our ASL Instructor, Jasmine Solis, for our Online Course students. These 1-hour sessions give you the opportunity to meet our Start […]
Start ASL Public Zoom ASL Practice Events
Start ASL offers free monthly Public Zoom ASL Practice Events for our Free Lessons students as well as the general ASL community to come together and practice ASL! These events […]
Start ASL Private Zoom ASL Practice Events
Start ASL offers private Zoom ASL social events for students of our Online Course to practice! These are private 45-minute ASL social events and are perfect for you to practice […]
#IloveStartASL Contest 2020 – Official Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. Begins at 6:00:00 a.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) on June 26, 2020. Ends at 11:59:00 […]
American Sign Language for High School Credit
Start ASL is partnered with many schools that accept our ASL 1, 2, and 3 course levels in order to award American Sign Language for high school credit to their […]
Deaf Classroom Design
by Michelle Waldo | August 28, 2018 When I was in college I spent a semester interning at Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services (D&HHS) in Grand Rapids, MI. One […]
Gallaudet University
by Madeline Huwaldt | October 3, 2018 Gallaudet University was founded in 1864 and is located in Washington D.C and is a federally chartered private school. Originally Gallaudet was a […]
Fun American Sign Language Games List
We have had some fun experiences with American Sign Language games in the classroom. Here are some of our favorites: Sign Language Telephone Game Remember the game “Telephone” from grade […]
Alexander Graham Bell – Helpful or Harmful?
We all know Alexander Graham Bell (known as AGB in the Deaf community) as the inventor of the telephone. That makes him a good guy, right? Creating a way for […]
Children of a Lesser God
Children of a Lesser God is a 1986 film that, we believe, brought Deaf Culture and the values of deaf people into the public spotlight. If you have never seen […]
Deaf Culture Do’s and Don’ts
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 […]
Juliette Gordon Low – Deaf Founder of the Girl Scouts
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 […]
Abbe de L’Epee
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 […]
Laura Bridgman – The First Helen Keller
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 […]
Helen Keller – The First Deaf-Blind College Graduate
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 […]
Linda Bove – “Linda the Librarian”
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. […]
Dummy Hoy (William Hoy) – The First Deaf Major League Baseball Player
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 […]
History of American Sign Language
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 […]
Sue Thomas
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 […]
Famous Deaf Actors – Bringing ASL to Life
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 […]
Find an American Sign Language Practice Partner!
Are you learning American Sign Language on your own? Finding an ASL partner with whom to practice your signing skills is an integral part of learning this language. And since […]
Deaf Culture Art / Deaf Art
Deaf culture art is a cultural art that reaches both positive and negative ends of the spectrum unlike any other. You can learn so much about the Deaf simply by […]
Shoshannah Stern
Shoshannah Stern is a well known deaf actress who is best known for her roles as Bonnie Richmond in Jericho, Holly Brodeen in Threat Matrix, and Megan Graves on Weeds. […]
I LOVE YOU Sign Language Sign
The Truth Behind the Sign I read something incredibly amusing today about the “I Love You” sign language sign. I read the “article” on a page called Signs of Satan. […]
Switched at Birth – Deaf Culture on Television
Switched at Birth is a television show featured on ABC Family that has truly brought American Sign Language and Deaf Culture into the living rooms of today’s generation. It is […]
An Interview with Jamie Berke
An Interview with the Famous (Now Former) About.com Deafness Guide If you have ever researched deafness, deaf people, or sign language online, you have most likely landed on one of […]
Who Invented Sign Language?
The question of who invented sign language has sparked much debate and has a vague answer. If you want to know who invented sign language, you need to analyze the events […]
Interpreting Songs for the Deaf
Signing songs for the deaf is a great way for students to learn a LOT of vocabulary and retain that vocabulary for a long time. If you need to interpret […]
The Best Songs in Sign Language
American Sign Language is a very expressive language. Songs in sign language are therefore equally expressive and many times are more expressive than their purely vocal versions. If you’re interested […]
Stockard Channing – Narrator of Through Deaf Eyes
Stockard Channing is a film, stage, and television actress who narrated the film Through Deaf Eyes. She is best known for her role as First Lady Abbey Bartlet on The […]
Alice Cogswell – The Beginning of American Deaf Education
When you are 9 years old, you don’t think about making history. Alice Cogswell made history at the age of 9 by sparking the beginning of the creation of American […]
American Sign Language
American Sign Language (ASL) is the natural language of around 500,000 deaf people in the US and Canada. A “natural” language is a language that is learned as a first […]
Through Deaf Eyes
Through Deaf Eyes is the most informational movie about Deaf people. Most hearing people are completely clueless when it comes to Deaf people, the Deaf community, and Deaf culture. This film […]
Cochlear Implants – A Cultural Threat
This article discusses a common Deaf cultural view of cochlear implants. Not everyone shares these views and this article is for educational purposes only. The company’s name used throughout the […]
The Deaf Community and How You Can Get Involved
When you are learning American Sign Language, it is important to get involved with the Deaf community. Many believe that learning ASL within the Deaf community is the only true […]
Deaf Olympics “Deaflympics”
The Deaf Olympics, known as the Deaflympics, are international athletic competitions for the deaf. The Deaflympics started in Paris in 1924 and have had three official names: “International Games for […]
The Story of Deaf Smith – A Hero of the Texas Revolution
Deaf Smith is famous for the important role he played in the Texas Revolution. Erastus “Deaf” Smith was born April 19, 1787 in Dutchess County, New York and lost most […]
Deanne Bray – Deaf Actress from Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye
Deanne Bray is a well known deaf actress who was probably the first deaf person Hollywood created an entire television show around. She is best known for playing Sue Thomas […]
An Interview with Dianrez – Deaf Blogger
If you have ever wanted to read the true thoughts of a Deaf person who is a strong advocate for Deaf culture and is a proponent of the Deaf community, […]
Deaf Culture Essentials
Learning about Deaf Culture is perhaps the most important part of learning ASL. Deaf Culture was first truly recognized in 1965. The idea that Deaf people had a culture of […]
History of Sign Language – Deaf History
The events that occurred in the history of sign language are actually pretty shocking. How deaf people experience life today is directly related to how they were treated in the […]
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