ASL for Beginners

Service Description

Class Experience Welcome to ASL for Beginners Level 1! This is a 1:1 customized class for your learner. I have been a professional American Sign Language interpreter since 2008 and have a focus on conversational ASL. It's so important to become fluent enough to have conversations in ASL. 1 in 20 people in our country have hearing loss or deafness and learning ASL is important as an additional language. I've been teaching ASL for many years and I've developed an approach that gets learners up and running quickly. My personal experience of growing up with a deaf sibling has given me a perspective that I can share with my students. We get to focus on what is challenging for your learner and we make it fun together! I use a bunch of great resources and get you conversation ready. 12 Lesson Group 1. Fingerspelling Correctly & Introducing Yourself 2. Greetings & Farewells 3. Numbers 4. Family 5. Where are you from? 6. Likes & Dislikes 7. Holidays & Calendar Events 8. Describing Others 9. Describing where you live 10. Food 11. Weather 12. Daily Routines Throughout my lessons, I give students pieces of the rich history and culture that related to the Deaf community. I relate the information to the students in interesting ways so that they can apply it in their lives. One example of this is helping students to learn how to answer the simple question “How are you?” in a Deaf friendly and ASL appropriate way. In the mainstream hearing culture, there is a script we tend to follow when asked that simple question and if we don’t follow that script we are deemed to be the odd individual in the conversation. In the Deaf community however, it is expected that you will answer that question honestly because if you are not honest when you answer you are withholding information which is not culturally appropriate. Once I have explained this to students, we then practice how to ask this question and give many different answers in order to cover the possible answers they might give if they were to answer honestly. I also challenge them that over the next week they look at how they answer that question when they are asked by anyone, are they answering honestly or are they following the script? I have been communicating using American Sign Language for over 20 years. I have a bachelor's degree in American Sign Language interpreting. I have been an interpreter since 2008 and I am nationally certified through the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. $84 CAD

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