Crowd Sourcing American Sign Language Courses with Reviews
Community Q and A is a new way to support moms here at Hip Homeschool Moms. We get asked questions that we don’t necessarily know the answers to. So we thought it would be fantastic to create a resource where we can crowd source the information to answer your questions. The first question we are attempting to answer this way is about American Sign Language Courses. Please see our reader’s question below.
Elizabeth asked:
[mks_pullquote align=”left” width=”850″ size=”20″ bg_color=”#000000″ txt_color=”#ffffff”]I am looking for an online American Sign Language course for my daughter. I saw it mentioned, but can’t remember where. Thanks![/mks_pullquote]
Can you please comment below with the products you are aware of, products you have used and share your experience with them. Because all of us can google but we want more than just the product we want your opinion!!
Following. My eight year old starts taking ASL from another HS next week but I’d be interested in hearing experience with videos and online for practice.
I believe Great Courses offers a course but not sure.
It really depends on the age of the kids.
Signs vary widely by region and true ASL is best learned under tutoring from a native Deaf user.
If your children are younger there is a pretty good DVD series called “signing time” that was made by a Mom who’s daughter was born deaf.
Aslpro.com is an online dictionary that can be used to see some signs for specific words.
Hope that helps a bit 🙂
Heather, thank you!! That is valuable insight and I’m going to look up that DVD series right now!
Wow! She has a ton of resources! https://amzn.to/2JLZGk4 {affiliate link}
I am a Sign Language Interpreter , and I highly recommend seeking out an American Sign Language class taught by a Deaf Instructor whenever possible. It really is the best way to learn ASL and Deaf Culture. Many areas have a Interpreting Agencies or Deaf Groups, that would be a good place to find ASL classes taught by Deaf teachers. Signing Naturally https://www.dawnsign.com/series/details/signing-naturally Is a good curriculum to use at home, and has a DVD.
Thanks Catherine for your suggestion! We really do appreciate you joining this conversation and giving us direction! And for our moms who love to shop on Amazon, Signing Naturally is there too. https://amzn.to/2l8CIc8 {affiliate link}
I know very little about ASL but my kids loved this signing video when they were little!
https://youtu.be/OlMPQ-Lr2_Y
Great! Thank you!!
When learning sign language online, it is important to seek out teachers and sources that are from the Deaf community. It is their language, their culture and their life. Here are a few resources for ASL from the Deaf community
Dr. Bill Vicars – free curriculum and videos, lots of information! Dr Vicars is Deaf/HH
https://www.youtube.com/user/billvicars – Introductory vocabulary, phrases and more
a little about Dr. Bill Vicars http://lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/instructor.htm
his website is here: http://www.lifeprint.com/ a wealth of information on ASL, fingerspelling practice, and his curriculum is here, and uses Youtube videos. http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/lessons/lessons.htm
http://www.signlanguage101.com/ 10 ASL lessons on basic sign vocabulary, taught by Dr. Byron Bridges, ( he is Deaf) beginning vocabulary and a little about Deaf culture
Catherine, this is perfect! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and wisdom with us!
We did 3 things: Signing Online for learning the signs and such, then one-on-one meetings with a deaf person to understand the grammar and the nuances, and then Coursera’s Deaf Culture to get a feel for what life is like for a deaf person in America.
Oh Carlee, that is fantastic information!! Thank you for helping us help this mom!
I’m a former ASL interpreter. I would recommend locating your local Deaf and Hard of Hearing center. They often offer classes, for a fee. I would always recommend having a face to face teacher. ASL grammar is very detailed and complicated. Feedback is essential to accurately learn the language. Good luck! ?
Thanks Dana!! We appreciate you helping us answer this question!!
A scientific and technical dictionary for American Sign Language has existed since the late 1990s. It is called Science Signs Lexicon, launched by Harry Lang, an early proponent of science in the deaf community and a professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Take a look at “Sign It: American Sign Language Made Easy” (https://signitasl.com). It is a new online, self-paced program taught by many from the Deaf community (such as Peter Cook, Crom Saunders, Alexandria Wailes, Keith Wann, Maleni Chaitoo, and Sean Forbes). It uses a lot of humorous skits to show grammar, introduces Deaf Culture, and has a pretty extensive video dictionary. It also has an educational site license option that can be used by homeschool coops or groups of families.