Easy ways to learn American Sign Language. What helped you?
120997
heres a cool site\nhttp://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/browser.htm \ni also purchased a book from Mickey Flodin called "signing illustrated: the complete learning guide". the book teached u according to events and themes... i recommend if taking classes is too expensive for u
619037
There is some good advice listed above.\n\nNetworking with other deaf people is a good way to hear about companies that hire the deaf.\n\nChecking with the State Department of Rehabilitation or Disabled Services or whatever its called in your state is probably the best idea.\n\nHow are his sign language abilities? A deaf friend of mine just graduated from college and she is now a substitute teacher at the state school for the deaf. Another deaf friend has very little education and he is a stock man at a warehouse.\n\nMy wife is very hard of hearing and she makes a very good living as a computer software consultant, most of which is done at home in front of a PC.\n\nHelp him to stay positive and have confidence in himself. Deaf people can do anything they want, except hear.
199784
Hey by the way the correct spelling is "Interested."\n\nYou already know I am deaf, so no introductions here. But anyways, I'd like to share something that is kind of interesting from a deaf perspective.\n\nI grew up speaking and lip-reading all my life going to hearing schools. Yes, I did have oral education, but only up to 6th grade. It became a part-time thing all through elementary school, then no more of that after that.\n\nI had never learnt sign language because I was always in hearing schools, and I lived too far from my old deaf classmates to be able to socialize with them on a regular basis. So I pretty much was not part of the deaf culture for most of my life growing up.\n\nI attended a community college that had a small deaf program (Ohlone College). I also played on the tennis team. There was another deaf girl on the tennis team too. She only communicated via ASL with no lipreading. I only communicated via speaking. Despite the fact that we were both deaf, we could not communicate at all!\n\nIt was so strange. I truly felt what hearing people felt sometimes when they try to communicate with a deaf person. I was taking ASL 1 at the same time, so each day I was not only learning more signs in class, I was also learning them from her. Those first six months were probably the fastest I had ever learnt a language. I didn't even have to go to class nor did I have to study it because I already knew it all! Got an easy A plus in ASL 1!\n\nThis experience taught me what it really felt like to be in hearing people's shoes with the hearing perspective on deafness. So I already know what it feels like to be on both sides of the fence. I also learnt that it is possible to really learn a new language very quickly if you really have a strong desire to communicate with someone. It just takes regular practice and dedication on a regular basis, and then before you know it, you already become fluent in it.
319220
Unfortunately the only way is practise. I am living proof that you can teach yourself to change hands you write with, but it took me a good 8 months practise to get it to where it is legible.
471353
Very easy to learn.  They have "language in 10 minutes a day" books in the book stores...that can help you learn French.  The computer courses are great too.\nFrench doesn't have too many hard to make sounds and we have the same alphabet so you'll do just fine.\nGood luck!!!
252040
TALK REALLY LOUD!!! OR start using sign language
259772
There are classes that my father took to reduce his accent. They are called "Accent reduction classes". Hence the name. Another way is to practice are tongue twisters, or any reading out loud while recording yourself, then playing it back. Try to see what words or phrases or letter you see that give you the most difficulty. Also, singing helps. Helps improve your diction.
14852
You might try the sign language books at the public library.
319736
Try contacting Betsy Winston at Project TIEM Online, at Northeastern University.  She's in the ASL department.  The phone number is (866) 252-1199. You could also try Carol LeCava at the University of Tennessee.  That number is (865) 974-8495.  Both have distance programs and offer bachelor's for interpreting, but I'm not sure how much is online and how much is correspondence.\n\nI got this information by going to the website for the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID).  The website is located at http://www.rid.org/  \nFor more information on Bachelor's programs in interpreting, go to the website, scroll down and on the right hand side under "General Information" click on "Interpreter Training Programs".  When that page opens, click on "Interpreter Training Program Database".  When that page opens, click on "Search for Interpreter Training Programs".  Enter the info you want into the search engine (for program type, enter Distance).  There will be a bunch of colleges popping up.  I checked them out, but the only two that offer bachelor's degrees (rather than associates) are University of Tennessee and Northeastern University.\n\nGood Luck!\n\nPS - If you have to choose between the two programs, and you're at a draw as to where to go, I would go with the University of Tennessee, as they are certified by the Council on the Education of the Deaf (CED).  CED certification applies more to programs training Teachers of the Deaf, but it's still a very worthy consideration if you're down to the wire and need to choose!
381635
There is a teach yourself braille course at http://www.brl.org/ However, to be certified, you would still have to submit a final manuscript to NLS, and you would need to know their formatting standards from their textbook, which is available for purchase from the American Printing House for the Blind:\nAuthor                Risjord, Constance.\nTitle                 Instruction manual for Braille transcribing \nPHONE: (502) 895-2405,(800) 223-1839\nCatalog No.           7-59880-00 $31.00 \nYou can also enroll directly through NLS and receive materials free: http://www.loc.gov/nls/bds.html\nOther countries have similar programs, I understand.
47940
"Welcome to Michigan State University's ASL Browser web site, an online American Sign Language (ASL) browser where you can look up video of thousands of ASL signs and learn interesting things about them."\nhttp://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/index.htm\n\nThe sign for "Commandment"\nhttp://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/C/W0685.htm
399924
Sign language is for the deaf but its good if a person that can hear can learn the basics as we sometimes meet up with people with hearing disabilities. As for taking a long time to learn, not really, First you learn the alphabet using your hand and fingers (helps if your nimble fingered) Then you learn gestures to indicate words. not really hard at all. With practise you can learn the alphabet in a month.
612768
I know lots of them.  My family's deaf & we all communicate in ASL.  Why do you ONLY want to know the curse signs & not everything else?
492388
check out:\nhttp://www.rccsd.org/RKeim/asl_dictionary_sites.htm\n\nThere are ASL links and some lesson stuff on the site.\n\nalso, for abc's and numbers, the kids can play Battleship (or "fingership")\nFor colors and personal descriptions, they can play Guess Who?\nThey can write skits and act them out with sign language\nthey can sign songs as a major assignment\nEstablish "pen pal" relationships with a school for the deaf, so they can learn about how people who are deaf learn and use language.\n\nSend me an email if you want "fingership" or "guess who" game boards.
407865
Immersion in the language, living in another culture is, hands-down, the best way.  It's also the most disruptive to your life, and few can do it.\n\nIf you're learning on your own, some general tips for learning languages:\n\n1. Look at people's reviews on Amazon to determine what are some of the best courses.\n\n2. Go to the library and check out different types of courses, and see what works for you best.\n\n3. Put aside 30 - 60 minutes per day and study some each day.\n\n4. If you get discouraged, take a couple of days off, but set your next time to study and stick to it. If you go too long (say a week) between study sessions, you'll start forgetting.\n\n5. Go into the experience realizing that you'll make lots of mistakes, don't worry about them and keep going.\n\n6. Try to find someone better than you in the language to speak with. You can't learn to speak a language without speaking it. If you're trying to learn with someone else who is also learning, you'll lead each other into learning errors.
358975
I do bt asl 1st!!!\nHaha~~\nWorking hard ...
76106
The best way to "learn" the American accent is to be immersed in American culture.  If you don't live in the U.S., listen to tapes recorded by American voices and watch American television.  However, after meeting people who've lived in the U.S. for over 20 years without any changes in their accents, I have to say it will be a very difficult goal to accomplish.  It also depends on your age - I met one young Lithuanian guy who acquired an American within two years of living in the States.  \n\nGood luck!