Learn American Sign Language your way with a TakeLessons expert

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

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

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

Have you been wondering, "What is ASl?" and "What is BSL?" "Is the language different in ASL and BSL?" These are great questions and deserve a little more background. First of all, did you know that sign language is not universal? Just like there are numerous spoken languages (around 6,500) used across the globe, there are also many sign languages (somewhere between 138-300) used by various Deaf communities. Though it’s a common belief, sign languages do not stem from a country’s spo

Is ASL used throughout the United States? Is it only spoken by those who are Deaf and hard of hearing? Believe it or not, ASL is widely used by several people in many areas throughout the U.S. There are approximately 500,000 deaf people in the U.S. Yet, these are not the only people who use American Sign Language. Besides the Deaf communities throughout, there are also hard of hearing individuals who are fluent in ASL. ASL Interpreters Another group of people that use ASL almost on a daily

Ever heard of Clayton Valli? Who is that? What did he do? Let’s take a look at the inspiring story of Clayton Valli. A Brief Look at Clayton Valli's Life Clayton was born on May 25th, 1951 in Massachusetts. He was a deaf man, who became a notable ASL poet and linguist. Valli had quite an impressive education. He first attended the Austine School for the Deaf in Vermont in 1971. Then he received an Associate of Applied Science in Photography from the National Technical Institute for the D

ASL grammar rules may seem intimidating at first, but once you understand the basics, you’ll be using sign language more fluidly in no time! First and foremost, a common misconception about ASL is that it is just a signed version of English, word-for-word. This leads to the flawed assumption that ASL and English share similar grammar rules. However, ASL is a visual language, independent of English, with its own grammar and syntax. If we examine English, we might notice that its structur

  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

Wondering how to become a sign language interpreter? Interpreting is an excellent career to pursue because it offers a variety of exciting job opportunities and you get to be a part of the diverse Deaf community. As an ASL interpreter, you get to be a mediator to a group of people that, otherwise, has struggles in completing everyday tasks such as going to the dentist or meeting up with a school counselor.  How to Become an ASL Translator If you want to become an ASL translator, congratula

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