ASLEC American Sign Language
Education and Communications

ASL I-IV are a comprehensive set of courses that will take you from an introductory level to having natural conversation in Sign Language.

ASL Training for Professional and Parents / Teachers of Deaf Children

American Sign Language Education and Communications develops customized courses for health, legal, government and other professionals that interact with Deaf people in their work. We also design curriculum for parents / teachers of Deaf children.

Outline of Courses in American Sign Language

American Sign Language Education and Communications offers American Sign Language (ASL) classes Levels I to IV. All classes are taught in American Sign Language and follow the VISTA “Sign Naturally” program. Each course integrates learning about Deaf culture. This is a program that can be spread over 20 weeks and provides students who complete the program with the competence to communicate with Deaf people in either workplace or social settings. It consists of 80 hours of instruction.

ASL I

Students learn to handle basic everyday communication: exchanging information, beginning with exchanging names and moving to talking about one's background; identifying others; making requests; giving reasons; giving opinions; giving simple directions. Topics center around personal information and the immediate environment. Grammar is introduced in context with an emphasis on developing question and answer skills. Students rehearse conversation strategies for getting attention, asking for clarification, and correcting information to minimize misunderstanding.

ASL II

Functions and grammar introduced in Level 1 are recycled and expanded to include giving directions; making plans; describing and identifying objects and locations; giving simple instructions; telling what happened. Topics move from talking about themselves and the immediate environment to talking about others and their community. Students develop language skills necessary to question, describe and explain. Students rehearse conversation strategies and volunteer appropriate information to maintain a comfortable exchange.

ASL III

New functions and complex grammar structures are introduced. Students learn ways to broach a subject; abilities and accomplishments; give advice; describe characteristic behavior. Narrating skills with two-person role shifting and appropriate semantic choices are expanded strategies for handling interruptions and listening behaviors for maintaining a comfortable exchange.

ASL IV

Vocabulary is expanded through introduction of various content areas dealing with current events, world affairs, literature and arts, and abstract concepts. Students learn how to participate in-group discussions about hypothetical situations, learn how to speculate, make presentations. Cross-cultural activities present common deaf-hearing situations and students rehearse appropriate social/language responses.

Conversation Classes (ASL V - XII)

An opportunity to practice learned vocabulary and structures in an informal environment.

2-Day Immersion Training

A great way to learn ASL by covering a lot of ground in a short period of time.

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What I learned will assist me enormously when dealing with a situation involving Deaf people. It gave me a much better understanding of Deaf Culture.

Course Participant Atlantic Police Academy, PEI

© Diane Fletcher-Falvey