American sign language articles & Resources

Fajrul Islam / Moment / Getty Images To effectively communicate with sign language, you need to know basic sign language words and phrases. Just like spoken languages, there are a variety of sign languages used around the world. American Sign Language (ASL) is used throughout North America, including the U.S. and English-speaking Canada. ASL is a complete language, which means that you can communicate just about anything through signing. Those who are deaf and hard of hearing, as well as peo

Little-known insights about sign language and Deaf culture. Hearing people have always challenged the ability, language, and even worth of Deaf people. And despite the many myths and misunderstandings surrounding these individuals, the Deaf community continues to overcome challenges and excel in society.  Part of understanding Deaf culture involves challenging outdated, false, and detrimental myths about Deaf people. To help, we’ve pinpointed 13 myths and provided the appropriate Deaf

Are you excited about learning American Sign Language? Have you been wondering how to learn ASL fast, so you can communicate in this non-verbal language, speak with your Deaf community, or maybe even pursue a career as an ASL interpreter? Then you’ve come to the right place!  If you’re wondering how to learn ASL quickly, we’re here to help. While in most cases, learning a new language does take a lot of work and time on your behalf, there are strategies you can use to expedite your tim

Many people are surprised or even shocked to learn that American Sign Language is not universal. However, when you think about how many spoken languages there are across the globe, it makes sense that sign language would be the same. After all, American Sign language is its own language with its own grammar, idioms, and everything else needed to be a language completely separate from English. Different types of sign language are developed in different regions around the globe, just like spok

  If you picture silence when you think of Deaf art, you’re missing out on so much more. Deaf art, like all other art, expresses the unique values of the artist. Deaf art represents aspects of Deaf culture, Deaf identity, American Sign Language (ASL), Deaf gain, deafness, hearing loss, oppression, Deaf perspective, Deaf experience, celebration, resistance, and cultural identity. ________________________________________________________________ What is Deaf Art? Art is broadly defin

Most people living in the United States are likely familiar with American Sign Language (ASL); even if they don’t know any signs, they know it exists. Even less people realize that ASL is not universal, but unique to the US and parts of Canada. Therefore, it’s probable that very few people living in the US realize that ASL has variations. Just as with spoken languages, which have various dialects and accents, there are also variations within ASL, and age, race, location, socio-economic c

Are you interested in becoming an American Sign Language interpreter? Are you curious about what that type of work entails? Is it easy or hard? It’s important to note that an interpreter’s work can vary greatly, which does make this job intriguing. Here are some examples:  A Day Working at a College:  As an American Sign Language interpreter working in a college environment, your schedule varies per semester. For example, when I worked as an interpreter in a college, one semester I h

Hearing Loss According to the CDC, at least one in 1,000 babies are born with a hearing loss. Historically, a hearing loss could go overlooked in a baby for months and even years, but fortunately, at present approximately 98% of infants are screened for a hearing loss. Identifying a hearing loss in infants is critical, because the first three years of life are crucial for speech and language development and it’s important for all children to have linguistic input from birth. Without exposur

DeafBlindness  Tactile signing is one method of communication used by the DeafBlind community, who have a combination of both hearing and vision losses. Having a dual sensory loss impacts communication, socialization, mobility, and daily living. Statistics from 2008 indicate that approximately 50,000 or more people (including children and adults) living in the United States are DeafBlind.  Being categorized as DeafBlind refers to a wide array of people; the sensory loss varies from person

Throughout the years, there have been many Deaf people. You may know someone personally who is Deaf, maybe a family member, a friend, a classmate or a neighbor. It can also inspire your ASL learning to look back through history, and learn the stories of some well known and famous Deaf people who have made a difference in both the Deaf community and in the world. Here are some famous Deaf people throughout history:  Laurent Clerc - 1785-1869 One of the very first to be well kno