Giving your child a visual language in American Sign Language will provide

strong foundation to communication access in your household.

Information on MSD Family ASL classes for Winter, 2023 session.

As this is an online internet course, interested persons will need access to a newer computer, a high-speed internet connection and a better-than-average web camera for effective participation. (please do not use your mobile phone)

MSD Online Family ASL classes will focus on expressive and receptive skills in American Sign Language and an introduction to American Deaf culture. You will get to learn ASL in real time with a Deaf adult.

Please fill out electronic form below which ASL class you see fits you and your family. Zoom link will be added to this forum in few weeks.

Due to me by February 01, 2023.

Thank you,

Camille Jeter

Michigan School for the Deaf, ASL Specialist

The classes will include:

• Deaf Culture Notes, featuring relevant aspects of Deaf culture

• ASL Focus, a two page section examining an important issue in the Deaf World

• Did You Know? sections presenting information about the Deaf World

• Deaf Culture Minute, explaining cultural tidbits

• I Want to Know, answering common questions about ASL

Families will be able to introduce themselves and exchange information about themselves in ASL. They will be able to converse about surroundings, where they live, your family and other activities in ASL. ASL vocabulary, daily routines, and fingerspelling. You can review your recorded sessions for more practice with your family. You will also be able to give simple directions, describe others and make requests in ASL. Family will participate in dialogues and class activities in ASL which highlight facial expression, body language, hand shapes, eye gaze, mouth morphemes and head movement as it is communicated in the target language, ASL.

To introduce yourself and others

To learn Fingerspelling

To learn the five ASL parameter rules

To learn basic ASL sentence structure

To ask and answer 'wh' questions

To learn the role of facial expressions and non-manual signals

To incorporate numbers into conversation

To understand and use the Rule of 9.

To understand the five parameters of ASL

To learn and apply WH-signs and facial expressions

To understand the cultural view of deafness

American Sign Language is not English. This key concept is essential in learning ASL. You must learn to think in ASL rather than using ASL signs matched to English words. If you "mouth" words or talk silently in English while signing, then you are not using American Sign Language. You can sign in ASL and "speak" English at the same time as easily as you can speak Spanish in English word order. It simply doesn’t work. Signing and talking at the same time is not ASL, period. Some Deaf people do sign and mouth English words at the same time, but only when they choose to sign in English word order.

Deaf people do this most often when signing with hearing people who are not fluent in ASL. Surprise Deaf people and gain their respect by using ASL properly!

You will learn of other types of signing, but only ASL is a real language. Other forms are called Signing Exact English (SEE) and Pidgin SignEnglish (PSE). If you don’t use ASL syntax (the way signs are ordered into sentences) and facial expressions, then

you’re not signing in ASL.

The best way to learn ASL or any foreign language is to keep an open mind and respect the differences between each language.

~Jason E. Zinza; author, Master ASL