ASL | American Sign Language | The Alphabet

Master the ASL manual alphabet with step by step instruction, fingerspelling practice, and useful recognition exercises.

What you'll learn

Students will be proficient in signing and recognizing all letters of the ASL alphabet
Students will be confident using and understanding the ASL alphabet with other people
Students will have forward momentum to improve their fingerspelling skills
Students will have a strong foundation to continue studying more advanced sign language

Requirements

A desire to learn, improve, have fun, and be more confident using the ABCs in American Sign Language
A computer, tablet, or smartphone to access the study material

Description

In this course, we’re going to focus on the most basic fundamental of American Sign Language (ASL): The manual alphabet.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Hello! My name is Michael. When I was three years old, my younger brother became sick with spinal meningitis. In the process, my brother became deaf with an almost complete hearing loss. This difficult situation provided a unique opportunity for my family and I to become fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). Unlike some deaf children, my brother was not sent away to a deaf or hard of hearing school. He grew up with us, his hearing family, and we were active in the deaf community.

My professional background includes local and federal law enforcement. As a police officer and federal investigator, I often used ASL to communicate with and interpret for witnesses, victims, and perpetrators. I decided to create ASL courses because it’s a useful and practical skill to have. Like learning any language, it opens your mind and creates the ability to communicate with a whole new group of people.

IN THIS COURSE:

Students will learn each individual letter at a slow pace to guarantee understanding

Students will view all of the ABCs from multiple angles to ensure precise hand and finger positioning

Students will participate in many exercises and activities to improve speed and fluency with the ASL alphabet

Students will begin to learn basic fingerspelling skills and signing multiple letters at a time

Students will be tested on their ability to sign, recognize, and understand all of the ASL letters

THE TARGET SIGN LANGUAGE SKILLS ARE:

Signing the complete alphabet correctly from memory

Recognizing and understanding all of the letters in ASL

Being able to sign and recognize the letters quickly

Beginning fingerspelling of multiple letters and short words

Beginning recognition of signed multiple letters and short words

AFTER TAKING THIS COURSE:

Students will be proficient in signing and recognizing all letters of the ASL alphabet

Students will be confident using and understanding the ASL alphabet with other people

Students will have forward momentum to improve their fingerspelling skills

Students will have a strong foundation to continue studying more advanced sign language

QUESTIONS:

What is the main focus of this course?

The focus is the most basic fundamental of ASL: The alphabet.

Do I need to have prior knowledge or experience with ASL before taking this class?

No. This course is designed for complete beginners without any prior knowledge of ASL. It's a great gateway towards more advanced sign language skills.

I already know some of the ASL alphabet. How can this course help me?

We have LOTS of exercises and activities to improve your speed, recognition, and understanding of the ASL alphabet. In addition, the course provides practice and instruction on signing multiple letters and short words.

Who this course is for:

Beginner ASL students who wish to become proficient in the ASL alphabet
Beginner ASL students who wish to test and improve their ability with the alphabet in ASL