At some point in your life, you’ll probably have some reason to be interested in sign language in general, but American Sign Language specifically. It’s an extremely common language, and at least a basic understanding of it will go a long way if you want to know anything about the lifestyles of the hearing impaired.
So with that in mind, consider the five following resources when it comes to learning about ASL – through interpreting company websites, in many different YouTube tutorials online, by visiting an interpreter’s office, by researching the laws regarding hearing impairment, and by seeing what is available at different college campuses.
Interpreting Websites
When you take the time to read blogs on interpreting websites, you’ll see that there is a tremendous amount of information on the subject. Blog posts will present basic through advanced information, provide links for all kinds of different resources, give personalized stories of people in hearing impaired and interpretive situations, and also have a huge amount of firsthand knowledge of the effort that goes into providing better life experiences for so many people.
YouTube Tutorials
YouTube is a great place to learn about American Sign Language as well. There are countless lessons and entire plans, given in small and large doses, available entirely for free. People have spent lots of time trying to spread good information about hearing impairment and sign language, and YouTube is a great place to see that in action. In fact, one of the first things people often do when they way to learn the basics of ASL is type that in a search string and see what YouTube comes up with for the most appropriate links.
Visit an Interpreter’s Office
If you get the opportunity, you should actually go to an interpreter’s office someday. Go meet someone who works with the hearing impaired every day, and see what kind of stories they have to tell. That sort of first hand interaction can be very important for you to get the vibe of the services being offered.
Research Legal Websites About Hearing Impairment
An important way to learn about how people with hearing impairments function in the rest of everyday society is to look at a few business laws regarding the hearing impaired. What sort of legal requirements are there for businesses, for instance? Lots of people are familiar with ideas like wheelchair access, but not so many people understand what sort of considerations there are for other folks with various disabilities.
College Campuses
Colleges, as places of learning, usually have lots of resources for the hearing impaired. Additionally, there are online college classes to learn about American Sign Language, and they can be taken in conjunction with other pieces of the curriculum.