Free Sign Language

Free Sign Language...Really?!! Yup, you heard ...er... I mean, read that correctly! This page is dedicated to directing you to sign languge resources that are FREE!

Have you by chance caught the ASL bug since beginning your baby sign language journey? I can appreciate that because it is exactly what happened to me. ASL is such a beautiful, expressive language that once you experience first hand how truly amazing it is, it's only natural to want to learn more. Sometimes, however, it can be a challenge to find a class that is not only convenient to your schedule, but affordable as well. While there are many colleges that offer American Sign Language classes, course offerings rarely coincide with the schedule of busy moms and dads and they can be a bit pricey as well. Luckily, we live in the information technology age and have 24/7 access to excellent, FREE sign language resources!

Wow! FREE sign language!

The goal of this section of our website is to introduce you to the many wonderful free sign language options that exist should you wish to expand your knowledge of ASL beyond simple baby sign language. We will explore resources that are available online and offer some ideas for continued learning within your community. For now we have included everything on this page, but as we discover new sources, we will compile them into a directory and change the format to multiple pages. If you know of, or are the organizer of a free sign language source and would like it to be considered for inclusion here, please let us know about it via our contact page.

Learn Sign Language Free Online

You may think that it could be difficult to learn sign language online, but the Web is actually a fantastic option as there are many opportunities to watch and learn. Here are some of our favorites!

A website that we found that offers free sign language online is called Start American Sign Language. This is an entirely free website that offers ASL classes, vocabulary, phrases and fingerspelling practice. There are video demonstrations that correspond to each lesson so you can watch signing in action. It also has a video ASL dictionary and information about deaf history and culture. We here as BSLA use this site ourselves and highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning sign language from a quality online source.

Another great website that we use is called American Sign Language University, also known as Lifeprint.com. This website also offers a free ASL course. It contains 30 ASL units, a dictionary, and an awesome interactive video fingerspelling practice section. The units are in written form and not all of the vocabulary have been converted to video yet, but the site is top notch and is another one that we highly recommend.

YouTube anyone! That's right, YouTube is another great way to find and learn ASL online. You do have to exercise a little caution when using YouTube lessons, since not everyone who puts up a video is an ASL authority, but with a little research and reading of reviews, you can find some very good free sign language content there. One of the things that is very useful about YouTube is that you can watch a multitude of people signing from beginners to native Deaf and this exposure to the various ways people sign can help tremendously with your receptive signing skills. The use of YouTube for practicing ASL was actually recommended by one of my signing instructors and it has proven to be an excellent tip.

Learn Sign Language Free Locally

ASL Meetup Groups

Check out Meetup.com to see if you have a local sign language Meetup in your area. With Meetup you can find a wide array of groups for every signing level. The requirements for membership are set by an individual group's organizer, but there are groups for beginners who get together to learn from each other, to advanced who meet to keep their skills sharp, and everything in between. What is great about Meetup.com is that if there is not an already established group in your area to suit your needs, you can always organize one yourself! After you enter in the critera for your desired group, Meetup will send out a notifcation to all members matching your specifications and inform them of your newly formed group.

ASL Clubs or Social Groups

ASL Clubs or social groups are an excellent way to gain exposure to fluent signers. While they generally do not provide structured, formal lessons, often what you can learn by attending is truly much more valuable! Many of these clubs or socials are made up of students, teachers, interpreters and members of the Deaf community. ASL clubs are often open to all levels of signers so you are bound to meet others at your signing level and make friends with those who are more advanced or Deaf. Gatherings such as these are quite often voice-off so while you are there you will be immersed in ASL. Being surrounded by and immersed in a language is a great way to learn, and as an involved member of an active ASL club you are certain to gain some invaluable immersion learning.

Yahoo, Google and other Social Networking Groups

With the explosion of social networking comes a fantastic way to meet others with similar interest. A quick internet search will likely turn up an abundance of sign language groups. While there are some that are geared toward online information sharing, many of the social groups or clubs do use these mediums to organize their memberships, making these a fantastic way to find and participate in local groups and clubs.