ASL

Resources for Sign Language Courses using ASL (American Sign Language)

ASL University is an online curriculum resource for American Sign language (ASL) students, instructors, interpreters, and parents of deaf children.  Feel free to use the various lessons and resources for self-study.  There is no need to register or pay (unless you want documentation to fulfill high school, college, or continuing education course requirements).  If you are a teacher, i give you permission to use the lessons to teach your in-person classes.  Enjoy!--Dr. Bill Vicars 

ASLPro.com was created to be a free resource for the classroom teacher.  Teachers can create accounts and personalize a quiz for their students' use, then take them into a lab and let them practice seeing models other than their own teacher.  Because our signs are designed to be used in student quizzes, non-Manual Signals are purposefully omitted.  We welcome the general public to view our site, but it should be noted that this site is not designed to be a stand alone learning tool.  A user's best course of action is to enroll in an ASL class with a qualified teacher who can guide them in such variations as regional differences and facial expressions that are not addressed in our video database.  

Signing Online offers web-based courses designed to effectively teach you American Sign Language (ASL) at your own pace from anywhere in the world.  The courses focus on conversational ASL and make extensive use of digital video to demonstrate the visual nature of signing.  The courses are perfect for anyone wanting to learn ASL.  State Board Approved Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available to educators and Continuing Education (CEs) contact hours are available for nurses.

Signing Savvy is the most complete online sign language video dictionary.  Signing Savvy contains several thousand high resolution videos of American Sign Language (ASL) signs, fingerspelled words, and other common signs used within the United States and Canada.  Signinig Savvy is an ideal resource to use while you learn sign language.  it also is an excellent reference for your day-to-day sign language needs.  

Signs of Development, Inc. is dedicated to  products and trainings approved by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf.  Very high and reliable quality.  

American Sign Language Browser

A Basic Dictionary of ASL Terms consists of a few American Sign Language terms to help those of you who are trying to communicate with a person who signs, but does not hear.  new word definitions are being added, and this will soon bring the total number of ASL terms to more than 1,270!  Also included is the basic alphabet and numbers 1-10. 

This dictionary has both animated and text definitions.  The text definitions also have letter or number sign images to aid in visualizing the sign.  This will allow you to quickly locate a word, read how to sign the word, and choose to view the animated sign if you wish.

the sign images are displayed from the perspective of the viewer, not the signer.  It is easy to remember this if you imagine that someone is signing to you while you are viewing the word definitions. 

In Sign Language, facial expression including the raising or lowering of the eyebrows while signing, and body language are integral parts of communicating.  These actions help give meaning to what is being signed, much like focal tones and inflections give meaning to spoken words.

Handspeak is a subscription based website, consisting of American Sign Language (ASL) online dictionary,lessons and resources, including Baby Sign, International Sign language, gesture, manual alphabet (fingerspelling) and numeral, Sign storytelling and art. 

http://www.42explore.com/signlang.htm

Recommended Books:

  • Signing:  How to Speak With Your Hands (paperback), Elaine Costello, Ph.D. New York, Bantam Books, 1995.  (This one is wonderful for use in the classroom as the illustrations are clear to read and easy to copy for making flashcards, posting on the walls, sending h ome to the caregivers/families so they may also work on the same signs at home, using them for communication schedule, such as for identifying a visit to the farm or grocery shopping.  This book offers signs/concepts for both new learners as well as long-term users.
  • Random House Webster's American Sign Language Dictionary (paperback), Elaine Costello, Ph.D.
  • The American Sign Language Phrase Book (paperback), Lou Fant.