Discover the Best ASL Classes Near Me
American Sign Language (ASL) is a language for the eyes, in contrast to most languages, which are geared for the ears. ASL is a language separate from others in that it is intended to help people communicate through hand motions, shapes, and placement in conjunction with facial expressions and body movements. This visual language possesses its own grammar and syntax system. Many high schools, universities, and other educational institutions in the United States accept ASL as a foreign language requirement needed for graduation.
As with many languages, ASL possesses accents and dialects depending on where an individual lives or whatever group or socio-economic environment may affect a person’s way of communicating, including age group and other factors.
However, ASL is not a universal language as other countries and regions throughout the world have their own sign language, including the BSL (British Sign Language) and the FSL (French Sign Language), which also possess different dialects, much like many spoken languages. People communicate using ASL mainly in the U.S., areas of Canada, and part of Africa and Asia.
Why You Should Learn ASL
People should want to learn ASL for several reasons. As with any person picking up any new language, learning ASL contributes to improving brain functions by opening up new ways of thinking along with new methods for communicating. Of course, the main reason for learning ASL would be for helping someone who is deaf or experiencing substantial hearing loss or who may have loved ones who are deaf or hearing impaired. However, acquiring skills with ASL can also be used to help in community functions or lead to finding work as an interpreter or in education. Careers related to skill in ASL include education or providing interpretive services for churches, government meetings and conferences, and broadcasting.
Knowledge in ASL allows individuals with or without a hearing impairment to become involved in a variety of activities by expanding their horizons. As stated, the ability to communicate using ASL allows for meeting new people, giving back to the community, or finding a new career.
5 Ways to Learn ASL
ASL has become accepted by many universities as a foreign language for meeting course requirements in order to graduate college. Skills with ASL can open opportunities not only as a new option for communicating but also creates new possibilities for socializing and contributing to the community through local churches or other avenues as well as finding careers as interpreters or educators.
There are several methods for learning ASL, including in-person courses taught inside classrooms, live online training using electronic devices, on-demand classes, free and low-cost online seminars, and online video tutorials that are also usually free.
In-Person Classes
The benefit of learning ASL inside a classroom is that the environment provides direct personal interaction. Because American Sign language is a visual language, being able to go over finger spelling, facial expressions, body movement, and other optical signals that can help in the learning process.
Live Online Courses
Learning American Sign Language through a live online course offers a convenient option by providing flexibility for anyone with a busy schedule. Live online courses can provide hands-on training from expert instructors that can give students the same level of education that they would get from sitting inside a classroom without ever having to leave home.
On-Demand Training
Finding on-demand courses allows anyone interested in ASL to learn at their own pace and at their own time. For example, Udemy offers the Learn & Master Sign Language course that trains participants in mastering ASL through 47-hours of on-demand video training. Upon completing this course, students will develop a solid foundation with the visual language. Training provides lessons including a vocabulary video index for each word taught within a specific lesson along with fingerspelling practice at different speeds, learning about numbers, book activities, narrative practice, dialogue practice, and highlights and tips on Deaf culture. This on-demand course costs $49 for 25 lessons through 47-hours of video training. Students receive a certificate upon completing the course.
Free and Low-Cost Online Seminars
There are plenty of free and low-cost online seminars available for learning ASL. Those interested can take advantage of American Sign Language Level 1, which Skillshare offers as an online training seminar for free with a 30-day trial. This course trains students in the basics for ASL with lessons including the origins of American Sign Language, the sign alphabet and fingerspelling, family signs, verbs, and key nouns. Topics discussed include colors, animals, foods and drinks along with professions and careers related to ASL.
Video Tutorials
Anyone interested can find video tutorials through several outlets, including online education providers or social media platforms like LinkedIn or YouTube. For example, Lifeprint.com, an online American Sign Language resource center, provides a variety of free self-study materials, lessons, and information as well as formal tuition-based courses along with free courses related to ASL. This includes Interviewing in ASL (part 1) American Sign Language, which is a free video tutorial that provides tips on using ASL in job interviews.
In-Person ASL Classes
There are plenty of online courses available for learning about ASL. However, many people simply feel more comfortable learning something new inside a classroom with an instructor standing right there in front of them. For those individuals, there are ASL courses throughout the country that provide in-person training.
In-person training offers the benefit of learning among others while being able to make eye contact or pick up on subtle gestures, which is especially important in a course about learning a visual language. Another benefit of occupying a classroom is the advantage of being able to personally interact with an instructor and classmates. While there are obviously several other advantages for choosing online learning over having to travel somewhere to get to a classroom to learn in person, the interpersonal experience of being there is hard to argue against.
New York City Courses
Anyone interested can learn ASL from the Sign Language Center, located at 39 E. 30th Street – Suite 2R in New York City, for the Level 1 ASL course, which provides students with an introduction to ASL and Deaf culture. This course provides lessons for developing a strong basic vocabulary with an emphasis on syntax and grammar. Training will emphasize best practices with fingerspelling along with understanding space and gesturing.
This six-session course costs $225.
Prerequisites: This beginner-level class requires no prerequisites.
Some students may choose to attend the Sign Language Center to enroll in the Conversational Class, which focuses on conversation to enhance fluency with signing for new learners. This course places an emphasis on storytelling that leads to a better comprehension of the visual language through comfort and familiarity.
This six-session course costs $200.
Prerequisites: This course has no prerequisites but is listed as advanced, which indicates that some experience in ASL may be necessary.
Los Angeles Courses
People living in Los Angeles can enroll at Los Angeles City College, located at 855 N. Vermont Avenue, for American Sign Language, Level 1, which trains students in the basic language structure for ASL and Deaf culture using a variety of methods. Lessons emphasize fingerspelling, facial grammar, facial expression, body language, and receptive skills for communicating using ASL.
This five-session course costs $65.
Prerequisites: While this course lists no prerequisites, it does require the American Sign Language Workbook: Exercises to Build Your Signing Vocabulary.
Students may also be interested in taking the American Sign Language for Teenagers and Adults course from East Los Angeles College, located at 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez in Los Angeles that trains participants in the basic language structure for ASL. Training includes lessons on fingerspelling, facial expressions, and receptive skills for communicating with ASL.
This five-session course costs $80.
Prerequisites: While this course lists no prerequisites, it does require the American Sign Language Workbook: Exercises to Build Your Signing Vocabulary.
Boston
People living in Boston who would like to learn sign language can enroll with Signing Basics, located at 102 Princeton Street at Amherst Street, for ASL Level 1, which trains beginner-level students in the basics of American Sign Language through class sessions and homework assignments.
This ten-session course costs $285.
Students will learn using the book Singing Naturally along with supplemental DVDs that support training.
Prerequisites: This beginner-level class requires no prerequisites.
San Francisco
Individuals interested in learning ASL can find training at ABC Languages SF, located at One Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, which offers ASL | Total Beginner. This course trains students who have little or no experience in ASL for learning the language. Lessons emphasize communicating with the deaf or hard-of-hearing who may be family members, friends, colleagues, or students. Skills in American Sign Language can be used for simply participating with the deaf and hearing impaired in community activities or pursuing careers in education or as an interpreter working at a corporation, government agency, or in the media.
Through this course, students will learn basic ASL conversational skills, grammar, and vocabulary for developing a better understanding of the language for personal and professional goals.
This eight-session course costs $375.
Prerequisites: This beginner-level class requires no prerequisites.
Chicago
Anyone living in Chicago can attend Wilbur Wright City Colleges of Chicago, located at 4300 N. Narragansett Avenue, for Sign Language for Legal Professionals, which provides training for people working in the legal system in the ASL skills needed to work fluidly with clients or colleagues who may be deaf or hearing impaired. This course is geared towards lawyers, law students, government administrators, court officers, criminal justices, and others who have responsibilities related to the legal system and are obligated to assure all citizens of being able to communicate in order to understand their rights.
This course emphasizes properly communicating with deaf clients through gestures, legal signs, and using interpreters from government and private agencies. Lessons for ASL include legal terminology and legal vocabulary and questions.
This five-session course costs $125.
Prerequisites: This beginner-level class requires no prerequisites.
San Diego
In San Diego, the Baby Garten Studio, located at 1947 30th Street, offers Baby Sign Language Basics, for teaching infants ASL, which can have a positive effect on a baby’s cognitive development. Parents and children will learn new signs through daily routines and other activities that contribute to an infant’s communication skills while simultaneously creating a bond among the family members. Baby Garten’s parenting lessons include music, stories, puppets, parachutes, and bubbles, which are all taught using ASL.
This eight-session course costs $156.
Prerequisites: This class requires no prerequisites.
During the winter cold and flu months, one parent per baby is allowed to participate in indoor classes in order to maintain a safer training environment.
Atlanta
People living in Atlanta can enroll at Clayton State College, located at 2000 Clayton Street Boulevard in nearby Morrow, Georgia, for American Sign Language Receptive/Expressive, which helps those who have basic training in ASL improve on receptive and expressive language skills. This training helps students engage through creating real-world scenarios that challenge their current skills by building confidence and competence.
This course costs $199.
Prerequisites: Students should have completed the ASL 2 course or its equivalent.
Virtual ASL Classes
For anyone earning a living working in any busy city in North America, it’s understandable that some people might not look forward to getting back out into traffic after a long day at work to find a classroom for learning a new language. This is why virtual learning provides an appealing option. Live online courses offer hands-on lessons for learning ASL from expert instructors who can help new students learn this visual language for socializing or helping with a new career without having to leave the comforts of home.
Virtual Learning provides a convenient option for training in sign language in order to communicate with and contribute to the Deaf community for personal, social, or professional reasons.
Anyone interested in learning ASL through live online training can enroll at Continuing Professional Studies at Bank Street for the American Sign Language: Module 1 course that provides beginning students with immersive training in ASL. The main objective of this course is teaching participants how to communicate fluently with the deaf and hearing impaired along with exploring alternative methods for communicating with children who may have no hearing disorders but might have other difficulties with comprehending spoken English. This class also explores aspects of Deaf culture along with how ASL is an essential component in everyday communication.
This four-session course costs $425.
Prerequisites: This beginner-level class has no prerequisites.
In order to participate in this course, students will need to have an Internet connection and administrative access available on their computers or laptops.
Students can enroll with Los Angeles City College for the online American Sign Language for Adults course. This program strives to help participants feel more comfortable about learning how to sign for communicating with the deaf and hearing impaired. Students will learn about the basic structure of ASL with an emphasis on Deaf culture. This course also emphasizes fingerspelling, facial grammar, facial expressions, and receptive skills for communicating through sign language.
This five-session course costs $55.
Prerequisites: This beginner-level course lists no prerequisites.
This course requires the book American Sign Language Workbook: Exercises to Build Your Signing Vocabulary.
People can attend the Sign Language Center for the Level 6 ASL online course. This program immerses students in not only learning about sign language but becoming familiar with Deaf culture. This course is designed for participants with advanced ASL training. The course includes using ASL-related media, including film, vlogs, and Deaf humor along with discussing Deaf culture related political topics, education, and social events. Students will also discuss Deaf idioms, slang, and related topics for creating ASL dialogue.
This six-session course costs $225.
Prerequisites: Students must have completed ASL Levels 1 through 5 courses.
Private Group ASL Classes
Anyone interested can use CourseHorse for staging live online group classes covering various topics. While there are no ASL-related group activities listed among CourseHorse team building events, anyone interested can use the school’s contact form to request options related to ASL, including booking private events.
ASL has become accepted by many universities as a foreign language for meeting course requirements in order to graduate college. Skills in this visual language can open up opportunities for not only options with communication but for also creating new possibilities for socializing or contributing to the community or local churches as well as careers as interpreters or educators.
What Will I Need to Learn ASL?
Learning any new language will always present a few difficulties. However, there are a few steps any new student can take with learning ASL or any new language for that matter.
Most people want to learn ASL for communicating with deaf and hard-of-hearing people, which provides not only new communication options but new opportunities for connecting with others or finding new careers. Enrolling in ASL courses is an obvious first step. Anyone interested can enroll in courses at local colleges, find free online seminars, or watch video tutorials.
There are plenty of opportunities through online courses, which can be found through resources like CourseHorse, which is an education site that works with education providers to offer a variety of classes in various locations or through virtual learning.
In learning sign language, it’s a good idea to connect with people involved in the Deaf community in order to gain familiarity or seek advice for learning ASL. New learners should also look for books related to sign language as well as YouTube videos.
It should be noted that learning ASL is more than simply learning finger signing. Part of the language itself includes facial expressions and body motion. Therefore, it would be a good idea to pay attention to facial expressions, which is among the keys for communication through ASL. Much of how people communicate using ASL, or any language for that matter, involves how others express feelings or moods through their faces.
Finally, because hand motions are the key to sign language, learning and practicing fingerspelling is crucial to mastering signing. Memorizing how to signify letters of the alphabet is key to grasping sign language.
Is it Difficult to Learn ASL?
Learning any new language can be difficult simply because a person has to learn new patterns and rules inherent with communicating. As with any language, ASL has its own rules for grammar and syntax, so it’s essential that new students get comfortable with basic techniques for communicating through signing, which includes fingerspelling, facial expressions, and body language. It should be noted that ASL differs from the English language in that it is a visual language not phonological or phonetic. However, the rules of syntax and grammar still apply despite ASL being seen and not heard for communicating. Despite that difference with spoken language, ASL possesses its own grammatical structures and syntax that creates a rich, complex method for communication.
