#learn sign language Learn Sign Language with Our Complete 4-Level Course So you’re ready to learn sign language… And it couldn’t be easier to start!
July 21, 2023
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Deaf Culture
No Hearing People Here! Deaf people have been more in the spotlight than you know. There are so many famous deaf people and famous hard
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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,
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”
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 –
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
July 17, 2023
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
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
July 17, 2023
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
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
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
February 15, 2021
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.
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
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
February 15, 2021
by Catherine Ritchie | July 22, 2017 The Deaf community has a rich culture with many prominent figures in its history. Some whose names are
February 15, 2021
ASL Dictionary
Memorizing the American Sign Language alphabet (also known as the American Manual Alphabet or sign language letters) is the first step when learning American Sign
July 14, 2023
by Jennifer Hatley | July 7, 2017 I find music to be my outlet for so many different things. I chose Johnnie Ray (John Alvin
February 15, 2021
by Jack | April 7, 2017 Teresa de Cartagena was a nun in 15th Century Spain. She is remarkable for being Spain’s first feminist writer
February 15, 2021
by Cynthia Brainerd | February 27, 2017 Regina Olson Hughes (1895-1993) became fully deaf at the age of 14, due to the effects of scarlet
February 15, 2021
by Marcus McNeal | November 29, 2016 “Everybody has to start somewhere. You have your whole future ahead of you. Perfection doesn’t happen right away.”
February 15, 2021
by David Cooper | October 13, 2016 The deaf person wrote about was Kevin Lucas Smire who was also known as “Deaf Kev.” He was
February 15, 2021
by Karri Kimery | August 18, 2016 As I was reading about people in the deaf community, I came across Matt and Kay Daigle. These
February 15, 2021
by Natalie Picone | August 27, 2016 In 1926 at the age of 19, Gertrude Ederle was the first woman to swim across the English
February 15, 2021
by Lisa | February 3, 2016 I’m going to talk about someone here who first opened my eyes to sign language, and that is the
February 15, 2021
by Heather Jensen Scientists have found that the muscles in children’s fingers and hands are develop faster than the ones in their mouth and jaw,
February 15, 2021
by Nanette Kaufmann (Kissimmee, Florida) Award winning actress and advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities. Her honors representing the handicapped are many, including
February 15, 2021
by Anonymous David Michalowski, profoundly deaf since birth, grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He competed at the United States Figure Skating National Championships from 1978
February 15, 2021
by Anne (Richmond, VA) Dr. Candace McCullough is the first Deaf psychologist to set up a counseling business. She makes counseling services accessible to Deaf people
February 15, 2021
Deaf dating sites are popular among many in the deaf and hard of hearing communities. However, there are a lot of niche dating sites out
October 4, 2021
by Anonymous (03/25/2020) Braam Jordaan was born in Benoni, South Africa in 1981. He was born “profoundly deaf to deaf parents”. Jordaan and his family
February 15, 2021
by Hannah (Indiana) Lou has been an inspiration to many deaf, he played the Hulk in the original series, he also appeared in “I love
February 15, 2021
by Kristyn Murray (Houston, Texas) Joseph Henry Sharp was one of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists, a group that produced some
February 15, 2021
by Sara Huang (Taipei, Taiwan) | March 12, 2013 I have read a lot about the oppression of the Deaf, but I really appreciate people
February 15, 2021
Henry Kisor is the author of What’s that Pig Outdoors? and other novels based on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan locales. Deaf all his life,
February 15, 2021
by Janeel Hew (Hawaii) | June 18, 2010 Understanding the past, helps us to embrace the present. Finally an online class, that teaches you that
February 15, 2021
by Kamalakannan (India) Another famous deaf person is Thomas Alva Edison who was born on February 11, 1847. He was an American scientist, inventor, and
July 7, 2021
by Grace (Canada) My favorite deaf historical figure is Granville Redmond. His struggle to be accepted by the common man is fairly touching, and his
February 15, 2021
by Joseph Heenan (Frankston, Australia) | March 8, 2013 The 48 year old Australian named Robert Hoskin is a well-known deaf filmmaker who has won
February 15, 2021
by Anonymous Rodger Young was a deaf man who faked his Army hearing test in World War II. He won a Posthumous Medal of Honor
February 15, 2021
Anne Sullivan is one of the most well-known teachers in history. She is best known for being the teacher of Helen Keller and the subject of
July 7, 2021
by Anonymous | March 2, 2013 Bob Hiltermann is a well known Deaf actor and is known for: Founder of Deaf West Theater (Fountain Theater)
August 5, 2022
Ear anatomy is not as complex as you might think. There are only a few anatomical parts that make hearing possible. However, if there is
February 15, 2021
As you are learning sign language, you need to master the skill of American Sign Language fingerspelling (spelling out words by hand one letter at
July 14, 2023
Step 8 – Taming Stress Signing, like I said before, is great for preventing tantrums with your baby. Signing helps eliminate the frustration your child
July 19, 2023
We have searched for the best sign language books, checked them out, and read their reviews. All of the best sign language books we’ve found
February 15, 2021
Below is a high quality printable free basic sign language chart image and PDF. Download Our Free Basic Sign Language Chart PDF Keep in mind
July 14, 2023
Great Ideas for that Perfect Gift! There are so many great gifts available to give to a friend or relative who loves ASL! Check out
February 15, 2021
It’s not uncommon to see a dog leading and assisting a blind person. You have probably seen a few of those trained dogs during the
February 15, 2021
While a hearing test seems like a normal part of having a baby, it is also a source of oppression for many deaf people. In
February 15, 2021
In this unit sample of the free American Sign Language lessons, you will be learning how to interpret songs in ASL. Interpreting Music One of
July 17, 2023
Step 2 – Getting Started The first thing you will do before you start teaching your infant sign language is pick the signs you are
July 14, 2023
Irish Sign Language (ISL) is the sign language used in Ireland (primarily in the Republic of Ireland). ISL is also used in Northern Ireland, but
February 15, 2021
Japanese Sign Language (JSL) is the sign language used in Japan. Just like how Japanese is completely different from English, JSL is completely different from
February 15, 2021
American Sign Language is NOT a universal language. This is a very common myth that needs to be debunked. Just like the thousands of different
February 15, 2021
In this unit sample as you are learning sign language online free, you will learn about Deaf employment. Deaf Employment Presentation In the presentation below,
July 17, 2023
In this unit sample of our American Sign Language course, you will learn how to sign about science and religion. Conversation 4.4 Read this outline,
July 17, 2023
Using sign language flashcards is a great way to retain the ASL you’re learning when taking an ASL course. You can find our ASL Alphabet
February 15, 2021
Step 1 – Introduction Yes, you need to read an introduction before starting. This will just give you a background about why sign language for
July 14, 2023
There are many different American Sign Language symbols and letters that are used in a variety of ways. There are symbols used for writing ASL
February 15, 2021
While a complete ASL course is the best way to learn ASL, we have searched for all the best sign language videos if you wish
February 15, 2021
Spanish Sign Language is the sign language used in Spain. Just like how Spanish is completely different from English, SSL is completely different from ASL.
February 15, 2021
Swedish Sign Language (TSP) is the sign language used in Sweden. TSP did not stem from any other sign languages, but it did influence Finnish
February 15, 2021
If you are interested in purchasing American Sign Language software, please keep in mind that desktop software tends to be outdated and takes the form
July 21, 2023
Step 10 – Your Growing Child When your child begins to speak, you may want to continue to teach your toddler sign language. If your
July 14, 2023
Back in the day, deaf people would drive all the way to their friends’ homes to talk to them. Then, the TTY was invented in
February 15, 2021
Auslan (Australian Sign Language) is a beautiful language. It is the sign language used in Australia and is related to British Sign Language (BSL) and New
February 15, 2021
Step 11 – Finding More Signers Getting connected with other parents who teach their babies sign language can truly be a great thing. Not only
July 14, 2023
At Start ASL, you can teach your baby sign language in 12 easy steps. Another great way to learn is to use highly recommended baby
February 15, 2021
Step 12 – Conclusion Many parents buy a baby sign language DVD or many books to learn what you have learned in these 12 steps.
February 15, 2021
Step 4 – When Things Don’t Go the Way You Planned You may encounter some friends or family that don’t believe in baby signing. Skeptical
July 14, 2023
Step 7 – Sign Combinations Babies will often start to combine vocal words (the baby talk begins!) as they progress in their learning. This is
July 14, 2023
British Sign Language is the sign language used in the United Kingdom (UK). One of the most notable features of BSL is their two-handed manual
February 15, 2021
Chinese Sign Language (CSL) has been developing mostly since the late 1950’s and its signs are like written Chinese characters. CSL has several dialects with
February 15, 2021
Lip-reading is rather unsuccessful (only an average of 20% understanding). Closed captioning, however, takes all the lip-reading out of watching television! You have probably watched
February 15, 2021
Step 5 – Caregivers Some parents who use baby sign language stay at home with their children while others leave for work. If you are
July 14, 2023
Many people wonder how deaf people are able to wake up if they can’t hear an alarm. However, with the advent of new technology for
February 15, 2021
Educating the deaf is a hot topic, and these books are indispensable! The education of the deaf has always been a hot topic in the
February 15, 2021
Deaf Culture
Here are some of the best deaf jokes we’ve heard over the years: The Motel A deaf couple check into a motel and go to
February 15, 2021
Great sign language products are hard to come by. There are tons of ASL books, software, and videos out there, but are they all really
February 15, 2021
Deaf people didn’t have many careers choices a few decades ago. They would usually find themselves working in trade jobs, non-profit work, or as teachers
February 15, 2021
Deaf Videophone Directory Deaf VP was a Deaf Videophone directory created by Sorenson. Videophones are telephones with a video screen. They enable deaf people to
February 15, 2021
In this unit sample of our online sign language course, you will learn about how to sign about health and hearing loss. Conversation 4.2 Read
July 17, 2023
