Sign language resources and extracurricular ASL (American Sign Language) materials for language+culture enthusiasts, ASL students and learners, instructors and teachers, interpreters, homeschoolers, parents and professionals for practice or self-study.
Equivalent to English: million
August 31, 1805: Alice Cogswell, the first American deaf pupil at the first American school for the deaf, was born in Connecticut.
August 10-17, 1924: Comite International des Sports des Sourds (CISS) was founded in Paris during the first World Games for the Deaf (now known as Deaflympics) from 10 to 17 August in Paris, France.
August 19, 1931: Dorothy Miles, an ASL/BSL poet and activist in the Deaf community, was born.
August 24, 1965: Marlee Matlin, an American actress, the only deaf actress to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Children of a Lesser God, was born in Morton Grove, U.S.
August 17, 1999: The Royal Thai Government acknowledged Thai Sign Language as "the national language of deaf people in Thailand".
September 1, 2005: Austrian Sign Language (OGS) was recognised by the Austrian Parliament and the Austrian Constitution was amended to include this new article.
Back to School
ASL students across North America (the U.S. and Canada) are taking ASL courses at postsecondary institutions. Browse around Search ASL words for a starter. Or enjoy a kid's version of the ASL wordbook.
The first days of ASL classes are exciting but they can be overwhelming for some students. Feeling stressed? Try laughs from first day of ASL classes humor.
How do you sign some common ASL words? thank you, I love you, please, hello, baby. Browse thousands of signed words in the ASL dictionary.
Learning ASL as a second language (L2) is fun and popular. Bilingualism is not the only benefit, but also bimodalism is another linguistic advantage for the cognitive and sensorial development. Plus many other benefits.
How long does it take to learn sign language fluently?
How to pick the right ASL class to fit your needs?
Learn about myths and facts about sign language.
Link to The Goats and the Bridge.
"In my nearly 40 years of life...I've yet to meet a single deaf person who was traumatized by sign language. Yet, I can't count how many were traumatized by mainstreamed and oral education."
-- Jeanine Gingras
Signing ASL as a first language (L1) is commonly found in Deaf families and codas as well as some deaf children in ASL-speaking bilingual schools. Studies from neuroscience to linguistics show that language acquisition, developmental milestones, and linguistic activities in the brain are similiar in signed language as found in spoken language.
Should you learn sign language for your deaf child?
Raising a bilingual-bimodal child: Don't insist on English.