What is ASL?
ASL is an acronym for American Sign Language. In ASL, the hands communicate by forming signs. These signs have meaning just like spoken words in English have meaning. When you learn to sign in ASL, you are learning a new way to say things. Learning ASL also means learning how to express yourself using your eyes, face, head movements, and body movements. Along with the hands, these features make ASL an exciting language to learn and use.
Who uses ASL?
It is the language used by Deaf people living in the United States and in Canada. It is used in schools, the community, and the workplace. Many Hearing people use it too.
10 reasons why you should learn ASL
- It is one of the fastest growing languages of study in the United States.
- Over 1,000,000 Deaf and Hearing people use it.
- It is the third most common language used in the United States behind English and Spanish.
- It helps many Hearing parents learn to communicate with their Deaf children.
- It can help people get jobs in the service industry.
- Learning ASL introduces you to the Deaf community and its rich cultural experiences.
- Learning ASL helps people gain an appreciation for language.
- Many people say that ASL is a lot more fun to learn than other foreign languages.
- You can teach it to your baby. Babies can learn to sign before they can learn to speak.
- It can help people with limited verbal skills develop their communication skills.
10 more reasons to learn ASL
- To have private discussions in public places.
- To talk to your child without others hearing.
- To discuss your evening plans at the dinner table without your parents overhearing.
- To carry on a conversation with a friend across a noisy room.
- To coach a talented child while he or she is out on the field playing soccer, without letting the coach know of your help. (Also useful in any other sport where you know more than the coach.)
- To have a wild yet silent discussion with a friend during a movie, opera, or at the symphony.
- To make plans for after-school fun without interrupting your teacher's monologue on the movement of ocean currents.
- Signing is more subtle than kicking someone under the table.
- Using ASL exercises a different side of the brain.
- To send your love to someone across the room.
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Who are we?
The founders of Signing Online combine over 25 years of expertise in teaching and writing about American Sign Language, including authoring American Sign Language the Easy Way... published by Barrons Educational Series, with over 15 years of expertise in creating interactive multimedia educational products, including the development of the Personal Communicator CD-ROM, which won the Discover Magazine Software of the Year award in 1995, and more recently the development of the Signing Savvy online dictionary.
Our mission
Signing Online's mission is to make it easier for you to learn American Sign Language. Using advanced Internet technology and effective teaching theories, SigningOnline.com is designed to teach you American Sign Language from home, school, work, a library, an airport terminal, an Internet café, or anywhere you may be with an Internet connection, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How SigningOnline.com helps you learn ASL
- Affordable interactive courses
- Advanced web video technology
- Field-tested interactive instructional techniques
- Uses real-life situations and content
- Provides many opportunities for practice
- Always available
- Flexible scheduling. You set your own schedule and pace.
A final word about learning ASL
American Sign Language is different from spoken languages because it is a visual language and it is difficult, if not impossible to learn ASL from a book alone. Static images on a page and text just do not convey the flow and motion of the language. Further, courses in ASL are sometimes difficult to find close to home and are occasionally expensive.
That's why Signing Online feels that the ASL web courses are an enjoyable and effective way to learn American Sign Language.
Additional questions?
If you have any additional questions, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for answers.
Contact Us
Signing Online, LLC
215 N. Every Rd.
Mason, MI 48854-9650
Voice#517-980-5662
Fax#517-676-5434
info@signingonline.com
Media - Visit the Press Room
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