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American Sign Language Days of the Week | RedGage

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Sheet containing 13 essential NZSL signs for Feelings.

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More information about deaf culture

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Video news broadcast all in ASL

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Sign Savvy, dictionary for ASL with videos

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Sign Savvy, dictionary for ASL with videos

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By Jillian Winn
Monday, November 20, 2023 (Modified from original published 11-25-2019)

In the past, we have shared holiday-themed signs around Thanksgiving (See our article: 10 signs to know for Thanksgiving), but we feel strongly that what's more important than learning to sign a few signs like turkey and pie, is conversational signs.

If you check out the Sign of the Day each day, you will notice the Sign of the Day for Monday, November 20 is CONVERSATION (as in "talk to someone in sign language") because this week is recognized as "Better Conversation Week." Better Conversation Week is always the week of Thanksgiving and it is the perfect time of year for all of us to focus on having better conversations.

Sometimes our deaf family and friends feel excluded when they come home for the holidays. If everyone isn't signing, they may feel excluded and feel like they don't have a place at the table. In honor of Better Conversation Week, in honor of Thanksgiving, and, most of all, in honor of our deaf family and friends, let's try to sign. Signing is hard and it can be intimidating to sign with a fluent signer when you are feeling insecure about your signing skills, but the number one thing you can do is simply just TRY to sign.

To encourage and support everyone to sign this week, we have unlocked all of our member full example sentences for this week only. This is a member feature, but will be unlocked and freely accessible to everyone this week.

Click on the "Sentences" tab on the Signing Savvy website to get started. We suggest looking at the section on "Conversational Sentences." There are lots of great examples of how to sign full sentences. We hope that before you know it, you are feeling comfortable signing "How have you been?" and "It's good to see you."

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Signing Savvy | ASL Sign Language Video Dictionary

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Signing Savvy is a sign language video dictionary that contains American Sign Language (ASL) signs, fingerspelled words, and other common signs.

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To practice your signs and play games

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An ASL resource for students and teachers

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ASL - American Sign Language: free, self-study sign language lessons including an ASL dictionary, signing videos, a printable sign language alphabet chart (fingerspelling), Deaf Culture study materials, and resources to help you learn sign language. Good for homeschool sign language classes, parents (baby signing), interpreters, and people who just want to learn fun ASL phrases like hello, thank you, I love you, etc.

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Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA - ASL Song

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Uploaded by Kaitlin Steer on 2016-06-26.

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American Sign Language (ASL) Fingerspelling
Copyright Lifeprint.com.

Copyright Lifeprint.com.

American Sign Language (ASL) Fingerspelled Alphabet
Copyright Lifeprint.com.

1280 by 960:

Copyright Lifeprint.com. The Gallaudet font is copyright (c) 1991 by David Rakowski. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

Copyright Lifeprint.com. The Gallaudet font is copyright (c) 1991 by David Rakowski. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
For a much higher resolution of the above file, visit " wallpaper 2."

For a copy of the above chart as a Microsoft Word document:
Fingerspelling Chart (.doc format)

" I love you" handshape:

ILY "I love you" ASL handshape (version) © 2007 Lifeprint.com Adapted from Gallaudet Type Font
The Gallaudet font is copyright (c) 1991 by David Rakowski. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.

For the rest of the alphabet, see: " Dr. Bill's Handshape Art."

All of the sign language graphics on this page are copyrighted. Permission is granted for you to download the sign language pictures for use on your personal computing devices and/or in your classroom. You may post the signs to a blog or webpage only if you provide credit and a link to Lifeprint.com. For example:

"Copyright © William Vicars, sign language resources at Lifeprint.com"

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American Sign Language (ASL) Fingerspelling Copyright Lifeprint.com. Copyright Lifeprint.com. American Sign Language (ASL) Fingerspelled Alphabet Copyright Lifeprint.com. 1280 by 960: Copyright Lifeprint.com. The Gallaudet font is copyright (c) 1991 by David Rakowski. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission. Copyright Lifeprint.com. The Gallaudet font is copyright (c) 1991 by David Rakowski.

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Deaf friendly University

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For more than 150 years, Gallaudet University has led advances in education of deaf and hard of hearing students and deaf rights worldwide. Today, students from across the United States and more than 25 countries-diverse in perspective, backgrounds, interests and communication styles-form an exciting learning community as they prepare for dynamic careers and a lifetime of growth.

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A short history of American Sign Language

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History of American Sign Language

The history of American Sign Language didn't truly begin until 1814 when deaf education was introduced to the U.S. There is virtually no information about American Sign Language history before this time.

Early in the 1800s, there were only a few thousand deaf Americans. No standard signed language existed at this time, but various signing systems were created in the deaf communities. These sign systems are now known as Old American Sign Language. The American Sign Language of today is actually related to this language.

The history of American Sign Language really started in 1814 with Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Gallaudet was a minister from Hartford, Connecticut. His neighbor, Mason Fitch Cogswell, had a deaf daughter who was nine years old named Alice Cogswell. Dr. Gallaudet realized Alice was very smart despite the fact that she couldn't speak or hear, and wanted to teach Alice how to communicate. Gallaudet had a little success teaching Alice reading and spelling, but he didn't know anything about the most effective ways of educating the deaf. So, Gallaudet gained community support and enough money in order to go to Europe. Since there was a history of deaf education in Europe, Gallaudet knew he could learn the best educational methods there.

In Europe, Gallaudet met Abbe Sicard, Jean Massieu, and Laurent Clerc. Abbe Sicard was Abbe de l'Epee's successor at the National Institute for Deaf-Mutes. Laurent Clerc and Jean Massieu were once Sicard's students and became accomplished deaf educators. Gallaudet studied the teaching methods of these instructors and even took private lessons with Clerc, who was one of the best teachers at the institute.

When Gallaudet was getting ready to travel back to America, he asked Clerc to accompany him. Clerc was one of Sicard's best instructors and Gallaudet knew he would be a huge help in starting a deaf school in the U.S. Clerc agreed and joined Gallaudet on his journey. Gallaudet and Clerc's school, which is now known as the American School for the Deaf, was established in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817 as the first public free deaf school in the U.S. This was a huge milestone in American Deaf history.

The school grew quickly and deaf students from all over the United States came together to attend this school. Just like it was at Abbe de l'Epee's school, the students brought signs from home with them. American Sign Language stemmed from these signs as well as signs from French Sign Language that Gallaudet learned from Clerc. Gallaudet retired in 1830 and Clerc taught at the deaf school until the 1850s. By 1863, twenty-two deaf schools in the U.S. had been established. Most of them were founded by Clerc's students. They continued to use Clerc's deaf education methods in these schools.

The First College for the Deaf

When Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet died in 1851, his youngest son Edward Miner Gallaudet continued his legacy in deaf education. Edward became a teacher at the American School for the Deaf in Hartford. Edward always wanted to establish a deaf college and in 1857, Edward was asked to be the superintendent of the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind in Washington, D.C. Edward presented his idea for a deaf college to Congress and they passed legislation in 1864 permitting the Columbia Institute to issue college degrees.

In 1864 the Columbia Institute's college division (the National Deaf-Mute College) opened. This was the first college for the deaf. In 1893 the college was renamed Gallaudet College to honor Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. In 1986 the school was renamed Gallaudet University. Gallaudet University is known today for being the first and only deaf university in the world. And it's in our very own Washington, D.C.!

The Best Deaf History Books
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History of American Sign Language - Start ASL

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History of American Sign Language The history of American Sign Language didn't truly begin until 1814 when deaf education was introduced to the U.S. There is virtually no information about American Sign Language history before this time. Early in the 1800s, there were only a few thousand deaf Americans.

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Click on the word and watch the sign!

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100+ First ASL signs: the most used ASL words

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Review American Sign Language vocabulary for your ASL classes from 101 beginners to 301 advanced and cultural studies.

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"100 Basic Signs" (American Sign Language) (www.lifeprint.com)

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Marlee Matlin discusses growing up deaf, the deaf community and her autobiography

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Marlee Matlin, Academy Award winning actress, author and celebrity spokesperson for captioning on the web, talks about her autobiography, "I'll Scream Later," accessibility issues facing the deaf and hard of hearing, and an exclusive sneak preview screening of a new pilot reality show coming to YouTube.