Background of American Sign Language
American Sign Language (ASL) is a complex visual-spatial language
that is used by the Deaf community
in the United States and English-speaking parts of Canada. It is a linguistically
complete, natural language. It is the native language of many Deaf men
and women, as well as some hearing children born into Deaf families.
Some people have described
ASL and other sign languages as "gestural" languages. This is not absolutely
correct because hand gestures are only one component of ASL. Facial
features such as eyebrow motion and lip-mouth movements are also significant
in ASL as they form a crucial part of the grammatical system. In addition,
ASL makes use of the space surrounding the signer to describe places
and persons that are not present.
Sign languages develop
specific to their communities and are not universal. For example, ASL
is totally different from British Sign Language even though both countries
speak English. Many people consider it a shame that there isn't a universal
sign language, however it's also a shame that there isn't a universal
spoken language, right?
Education in American Sign Language
It has been suggested by many professionals that the best way to learn ASL is from a Deaf instructor, but they only account for approximately 60% of the ASL teaching community. Therefore, you will find that most major colleges and universities countrywide offer courses and curriculum in ASL, and you should explore these institutions as you would for any degree program. There is a vast amount of information available through the internet on the variety of programs in ASL education. The links below provide excellent starting points for your exploration into ASL education. Please read through them carefully, as they will provide you with other links and information that will prove useful in your search.
BCC American
Sign Language Education - What better place to start than right
here at BCC. This page allows you to
investigate educational opportunities according
to your career plans.
Gallaudet University
- This is the home page for the country's foremost educational center
for the hearing impaired.
This university also provides educational programs
for learning ASL, both functionally and as an interpreter.
Handspeak
- This site is dedicated to a self guided investigation of the common
use of sign language. It includes some
Frequently Asked Questions about sign language, and
contains a visual sign language dictionary.
Careers in American Sign Language
As you may have already learned from the links above, learning ASL can provide you with many fulfilling career paths. Whether you are interested in teaching ASL, working as an interpreter, or simply expanding your personal career resources, the following links will help you to examine ASL careers from a practical point of view.
American Sign Language Teacher's Association - A great source for news, nationwide certification programs, related resource links, & conference/seminar information for all of the 33 chapters nationwide.
Registry of Interpreters For
the Deaf - Fantastic background information on ASL as a profession,
including local RID
chapter information and educational/professional certification.
Handilinks
- Extremely large collection of ASL related links, as well as online
ASL dictionaries and links to specialty
companies and software. Also, you will find a "handilinks
browser" that allows refined web searches on special needs topics.
Deaf World Web
- Page of very useful links to various topics within the visual language
community. Also includes an
excellent online visual language encyclopedia.