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Video Using Signs
Video Using Signs
Sign Language Website
Sign Language Website
Learning Braille Video
Learning Braille Video
Learning Braille Website
Learning Braille Website
Helen Keller Biography
Helen Keller Biography

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Learn 40 conversational words and phrases for beginners in American Sign Language ASL

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What is American Sign Language?

American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages, with grammar that differs from English. ASL is expressed by movements of the hands and face. It is the primary language of many North Americans who are deaf and hard of hearing and is used by some hearing people as well.

Is sign language the same in other countries?

There is no universal sign language. Different sign languages are used in different countries or regions. For example, British Sign Language (BSL) is a different language from ASL, and Americans who know ASL may not understand BSL. Some countries adopt features of ASL in their sign languages.

Where did ASL originate?

No person or committee invented ASL. The exact beginnings of ASL are not clear, but some suggest that it arose more than 200 years ago from the intermixing of local sign languages and French Sign Language (LSF, or Langue des Signes Française). Today's ASL includes some elements of LSF plus the original local sign languages; over time, these have melded and changed into a rich, complex, and mature language. Modern ASL and modern LSF are distinct languages. While they still contain some similar signs, they can no longer be understood by each other's users.

How does ASL compare with spoken language?

ASL is a language completely separate and distinct from English. It contains all the fundamental features of language, with its own rules for pronunciation, word formation, and word order. While every language has ways of signaling different functions, such as asking a question rather than making a statement, languages differ in how this is done. For example, English speakers may ask a question by raising the pitch of their voices and by adjusting word order; ASL users ask a question by raising their eyebrows, widening their eyes, and tilting their bodies forward.

Just as with other languages, specific ways of expressing ideas in ASL vary as much as ASL users themselves. In addition to individual differences in expression, ASL has regional accents and dialects; just as certain English words are spoken differently in different parts of the country, ASL has regional variations in the rhythm of signing, pronunciation, slang, and signs used. Other sociological factors, including age and gender, can affect ASL usage and contribute to its variety, just as with spoken languages.

Fingerspelling is part of ASL and is used to spell out English words. In the fingerspelled alphabet, each letter corresponds to a distinct handshape. Fingerspelling is often used for proper names or to indicate the English word for something.

How do most children learn ASL?

Parents are often the source of a child's early acquisition of language, but for children who are deaf, additional people may be models for language acquisition. A deaf child born to parents who are deaf and who already use ASL will begin to acquire ASL as naturally as a hearing child picks up spoken language from hearing parents. However, for a deaf child with hearing parents who have no prior experience with ASL, language may be acquired differently. In fact, 9 out of 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who hear. Some hearing parents choose to introduce sign language to their deaf children. Hearing parents who choose to have their child learn sign language often learn it along with their child. Children who are deaf and have hearing parents often learn sign language through deaf peers and become fluent.

Why emphasize early language learning?

Parents should expose a deaf or hard-of-hearing child to language (spoken or signed) as soon as possible. The earlier a child is exposed to and begins to acquire language, the better that child's language, cognitive, and social development will become. Research suggests that the first few years of life are the most crucial to a child's development of language skills, and even the early months of life can be important for establishing successful communication with caregivers. Thanks to screening programs in place at almost all hospitals in the United States and its territories, newborn babies are tested for hearing before they leave the hospital. If a baby has hearing loss, this screening gives parents an opportunity to learn about communication options. Parents can then start their child's language learning process during this important early stage of development.

What research does the NIDCD support on ASL and other sign languages?

The NIDCD supports research on ASL, including its acquisition and characterization. Funded research includes studies to understand sign language's grammar, acquisition, and development, and use of sign language when spoken language access is compromised by trauma or degenerative disease, or when speech is difficult to acquire due to early hearing loss or injury to the nervous system.

Study of sign language can also help scientists understand the neurobiology of language development. In one study, researchers reported that the building of complex phrases, whether signed or spoken, engaged the same brain areas. Better understanding of the neurobiology of language could provide a translational foundation for treating injury to the language system, for employing signs or gestures in therapy for children or adults, and for diagnosing language impairment in individuals who are deaf.

The NIDCD is also funding research on sign languages created among small communities of people with little to no outside influence. Emerging sign languages can be used to model the essential elements and organization of natural language and to learn about the complex interplay between natural human language abilities, language environment, and language learning outcomes. Visit the NIH Clinical Research Trials and You website to read about these and other clinical trials that are recruiting volunteers.

Where can I find additional information about American Sign Language?

The NIDCD maintains a directory of organizations that provide information on the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language.

For more information, contact us at:

NIDCD Information Clearinghouse
1 Communication Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20892-3456
Toll-free voice: (800) 241-1044
Toll-free TTY: (800) 241-1055
Email: nidcdinfo@nidcd.nih.gov

NIH Publication No. 11-4756
March 2019

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American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete, natural language that has the same linguistic properties as spoken languages, with grammar that differs from English.

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http://www.ncbvi.ne.gov There are different types of braille and endless possibilities for its use. Learning to use braille empowers blind and visually impaired individuals to read and write, making it possible to play cards, take notes, and keep records.

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What Is Braille?

Braille letter "a"

Braille is a tactile reading system that was invented in France in the mid-1800s and is named for its inventor, Louis Braille.

Braille enables children who are unable to read print to become literate and helps adults who lose the ability to read, due to blindness or low vision, to continue enjoying books, newspapers, and magazines.

The braille alphabet is based upon a "cell" that is composed of 6 or 8 dots, arranged in two columns of 3 or 4 dots each. Each braille letter of the alphabet or other symbol, such as a comma, is formed by using one or more of the dots that are contained in the braille cell. (The letter "a" is pictured at left.)

The following chart provides a good example of the design of the braille alphabet.

If you would like a copy of this chart, you can get a free embossed braille card from the National Braille Press website or you can go to the printable braille alphabet card available from the American Foundation for the Blind's Braille Bug.

Types of Braille

Braille has codes for writing text, music, and even technical material for math and science. Text or literary braille has two forms: non-contracted or alphabetic braille and contracted braille for saving space:

Alphabetic Braille, formerly called Grade One, writes out each letter and word exactly as it is spelled out in print. For example, in Alphabetic Braille the word "can" is written by using three separate braille cells-one cell for each of the three letters in the word "can." If you're interested primarily in writing shopping lists, playing card and board games, keeping telephone numbers, reading elevator buttons and room numbers, or writing labels or brief notes, Alphabetic Braille may meet your needs.

Literary Braille, formerly called Grade Two, is also called "contracted" braille. For example, in Literary (or contracted) Braille, the word "can" is written in a highly condensed or contracted form, using only one braille cell to represent the entire word. The majority of books and magazines are written in Literary Braille because it requires much less space than does Alphabetic Braille. If you want to read novels, magazines, or newspapers in braille, it is recommended that you learn to read and write Literary Braille.

Jeff Pledger, Senior Financial Analyst

In 1984, when he was 27 years old, Jeff Pledger lost his sight overnight from optic nerve atrophy and a subsequent coma, during a hospital stay for routine testing.

Says Jeff, "At 6 feet, 2 inches, I'm a pretty tall guy and when I went into hospital I was 185 pounds. Ninety-three days later, after leaving the hospital, I weighed in at 133 pounds. Within a month I went my local agency for blindness skills training. I went because Debbie, my home health nurse, said she couldn't stand me any more! We both learned braille together, even though it didn't always go smoothly.

I know it didn't help when I would throw my braille books across the room. But Debbie would let me stomp off, not pick up the books, and wait until I came back. She was also there for me when I was learning how to type, to use the Perkins Brailler to write braille, and do a few things for myself around the home.

Learn more about Jeff's journey through braille and full employment, as he

Unified English Braille (UEB)

On January 4, 2016, which is Louis Braille's birthday, Unified English Braille (UEB) was officially implemented in the United States, replacing English Braille American Edition (EBAE).

Unified English Braille is a code developed by the International Council on English Braille (ICEB) to bring together several existing braille codes into one unified code for the English-speaking world. The proliferation of different braille codes has long been recognized as a problem and the adoption of UEB simplifies the issue by creating a standard code for braille in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, Nigeria, and Singapore.

You can learn more about UEB at Making the Transition from English Braille to UEB in the January 2016 issue of AFB AccessWorld Magazine.

Learning Braille As an Adult

Learning braille as an adult is similar to learning a new language. In addition to memorizing the dot configurations of the alphabet, numbers, punctuation, and contractions, you also need sufficient finger sensitivity to feel the dot combinations.

Do you enjoy reading for pleasure? Do you like taking educational courses? Do you have a job that requires reading? Are you interested in reading for religious or spiritual purposes? If so, you might enjoy the challenge of learning Literary Braille. Like any new skill, it can take a while to learn-perhaps a year or more of weekly lessons-but can be well worth your time investment if you are an avid reader.

If you have a minimal need for extensive reading and writing, except for preparing shopping lists, labeling items, and taking brief notes, you may find that Alphabetic Braille is sufficient to meet your daily reading and writing needs.

The choice is always yours. Learning and using braille can be a wonderfully liberating experience if you want to learn it, have a need for it, and are willing to invest sufficient learning time.

Finger Sensitivity

If you are thinking about learning braille, good finger sensitivity is important; it's equally important, however, to be able to memorize new information, have a good reason for using braille, and have the patience to master a new reading method.

Finger sensitivity varies from person to person. Most adults (unless they have repeatedly injured their fingers in occupations that have caused calluses, burns, or other damage) usually have sufficient finger sensitivity to read braille.

Some health conditions, such as diabetes, and some medications can cause neuropathy (loss of sensation) in the fingers, which could make it difficult for you to read braille. Both over-the-counter and prescription drugs can cause neuropathy and/or a "tingling" sensation in the fingers.

Braille is often read with the pad of the index finger, but other fingers can be used and might, in fact, be more sensitive than the index finger. Although some reading materials are also available in "jumbo dot" braille (which can be helpful to braille readers with reduced finger sensitivity from diabetes, for example), the range of books and magazines available in this format is limited.

Many of the newer braille instructional books now begin with sensory exercises that can help you assess your own ability to feel raised or embossed shapes, and discriminate between different patterns of dots and sizes of symbols. You can also be tested for "finger sensitivity." Tests include the two-point touch test, the pressure anesthesiometer, and the Roughness Discrimination test. These tests and others are used by health care professionals and vision rehabilitation professionals.

Family and Friends

As with learning anything new, it's always a plus to have a family member or friend learning braille along with you. By learning together, you can provide mutual moral support and make learning the braille alphabet an enjoyable activity. You can write notes to each other, check each other's progress, and celebrate together when you gain new skills.

I'm not totally blind, but I can't see very well. Should I learn braille?

The answer to this question depends upon your reasons for wanting to learn braille, which is always a personal choice. Some people have usable vision, but their eyes tire easily or become irritated or uncomfortable when reading for longer periods of time.

Other individuals, depending upon their eye condition or conditions, can see better on some days than on others. During those times, these individuals can use braille as a backup or secondary system for reading and writing.

If you have usable vision, consider having a low vision examination conducted by an ophthalmologist or optometrist who has a special qualification in low vision. A low vision examination can help you learn if low vision optical devices, such as magnifiers or magnifying reading glasses, or non-optical devices, such as task lighting, absorptive lenses, or electronic video magnifiers, can help you read or write more comfortably and efficiently.

After you've had a low vision examination and explored low vision optical and non-optical devices, you may still feel you could benefit from learning Alphabetic or Literary Braille. Again, the decision is yours to make.

Resources for Braille

The following resources can help you get started in learning more about braille:

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Braille letter "a" Braille is a tactile reading system that was invented in France in the mid-1800s and is named for its inventor, Louis Braille. Braille enables children who are unable to read print to become literate and helps adults who lose the ability to read, due to blindness or low vision, to continue enjoying books, newspapers, and magazines.

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Who Was Helen Keller?

Helen Keller was an American educator, advocate for the blind and deaf and co-founder of the ACLU. Stricken by an illness at the age of 2, Keller was left blind and deaf. Beginning in 1887, Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904. During her lifetime, she received many honors in recognition of her accomplishments.

Family and Early Life

Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Keller was the first of two daughters born to Arthur H. Keller and Katherine Adams Keller. Keller's father had served as an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. She also had two older stepbrothers.

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The family was not particularly wealthy and earned income from their cotton plantation. Later, Arthur became the editor of a weekly local newspaper, the North Alabamian.

Keller was born with her senses of sight and hearing, and started speaking when she was just 6 months old. She started walking at the age of 1.Loss of Sight and Hearing

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Keller lost both her sight and hearing at just 19 months old. In 1882, she contracted an illness - called "brain fever" by the family doctor - that produced a high body temperature. The true nature of the illness remains a mystery today, though some experts believe it might have been scarlet fever or meningitis.

Within a few days after the fever broke, Keller's mother noticed that her daughter didn't show any reaction when the dinner bell was rung, or when a hand was waved in front of her face.

As Keller grew into childhood, she developed a limited method of communication with her companion, Martha Washington, the young daughter of the family cook. The two had created a type of sign language. By the time Keller was 7, they had invented more than 60 signs to communicate with each other.

During this time, Keller had also become very wild and unruly. She would kick and scream when angry, and giggle uncontrollably when happy. She tormented Martha and inflicted raging tantrums on her parents. Many family relatives felt she should be institutionalized.

Helen Keller's Teacher, Anne Sullivan

Keller worked with her teacher Anne Sullivan for 49 years, from 1887 until Sullivan's death in 1936. In 1932, Sullivan experienced health problems and lost her eyesight completely. A young woman named Polly Thomson, who had begun working as a secretary for Keller and Sullivan in 1914, became Keller's constant companion upon Sullivan's death.

Looking for answers and inspiration, Keller's mother came across a travelogue by Charles Dickens, American Notes, in 1886. She read of the successful education of another deaf and blind child, Laura Bridgman, and soon dispatched Keller and her father to Baltimore, Maryland to see specialist Dr. J. Julian Chisolm.

After examining Keller, Chisolm recommended that she see Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, who was working with deaf children at the time. Bell met with Keller and her parents, and suggested that they travel to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts.

Photo: Thaxter P. Spencer Family, New England Historic Genealogical Society [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

There, the family met with the school's director, Michael Anaganos. He suggested Keller work with one of the institute's most recent graduates, Sullivan.

On March 3, 1887, Sullivan went to Keller's home in Alabama and immediately went to work. She began by teaching six-year-old Keller finger spelling, starting with the word "doll," to help Keller understand the gift of a doll she had brought along. Other words would follow.

At first, Keller was curious, then defiant, refusing to cooperate with Sullivan's instruction. When Keller did cooperate, Sullivan could tell that she wasn't making the connection between the objects and the letters spelled out in her hand. Sullivan kept working at it, forcing Keller to go through the regimen.

As Keller's frustration grew, the tantrums increased. Finally, Sullivan demanded that she and Keller be isolated from the rest of the family for a time, so that Keller could concentrate only on Sullivan's instruction. They moved to a cottage on the plantation.

In a dramatic struggle, Sullivan taught Keller the word "water"; she helped her make the connection between the object and the letters by taking Keller out to the water pump, and placing Keller's hand under the spout. While Sullivan moved the lever to flush cool water over Keller's hand, she spelled out the word w-a-t-e-r on Keller's other hand. Keller understood and repeated the word in Sullivan's hand. She then pounded the ground, demanding to know its "letter name." Sullivan followed her, spelling out the word into her hand. Keller moved to other objects with Sullivan in tow. By nightfall, she had learned 30 words.

In 1905, Sullivan married John Macy, an instructor at Harvard University, a social critic and a prominent socialist. After the marriage, Sullivan continued to be Keller's guide and mentor. When Keller went to live with the Macys, they both initially gave Keller their undivided attention. Gradually, however, Anne and John became distant to each other, as Anne's devotion to Keller continued unabated. After several years, the couple separated, though were never divorced.

Helen Keller's Formal Education

In 1890, Keller began speech classes at the Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Boston. She would toil for 25 years to learn to speak so that others could understand her.

From 1894 to 1896, Keller attended the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf in New York City. There, she worked on improving her communication skills and studied regular academic subjects.

Around this time, Keller became determined to attend college. In 1896, she attended the Cambridge School for Young Ladies, a preparatory school for women.

As her story became known to the general public, Keller began to meet famous and influential people. One of them was the writer Mark Twain, who was very impressed with her. They became friends. Twain introduced her to his friend Henry H. Rogers, a Standard Oil executive.

Rogers was so impressed with Keller's talent, drive and determination that he agreed to pay for her to attend Radcliffe College. There, she was accompanied by Sullivan, who sat by her side to interpret lectures and texts. By this time, Keller had mastered several methods of communication, including touch-lip reading, Braille, speech, typing and finger-spelling.

Keller graduated, cum laude, from Radcliffe College in 1904, at the age of 24.

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'The Story of My Life'

With the help of Sullivan and Macy, Sullivan's future husband, Keller wrote her first book, The Story of My Life. Published in 1905, the memoirs covered Keller's transformation from childhood to 21-year-old college student.

Social Activism

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Keller tackled social and political issues, including women's suffrage, pacifism, birth control and socialism.

After college, Keller set out to learn more about the world and how she could help improve the lives of others. News of her story spread beyond Massachusetts and New England. Keller became a well-known celebrity and lecturer by sharing her experiences with audiences, and working on behalf of others living with disabilities. She testified before Congress, strongly advocating to improve the welfare of blind people.

In 1915, along with renowned city planner George Kessler, she co-founded Helen Keller International to combat the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition. In 1920, she helped found the American Civil Liberties Union.

When the American Federation for the Blind was established in 1921, Keller had an effective national outlet for her efforts. She became a member in 1924, and participated in many campaigns to raise awareness, money and support for the blind. She also joined other organizations dedicated to helping those less fortunate, including the Permanent Blind War Relief Fund (later called the American Braille Press).

Soon after she graduated from college, Keller became a member of the Socialist Party, most likely due in part to her friendship with John Macy. Between 1909 and 1921, she wrote several articles about socialism and supported Eugene Debs, a Socialist Party presidential candidate. Her series of essays on socialism, entitled "Out of the Dark," described her views on socialism and world affairs.

It was during this time that Keller first experienced public prejudice about her disabilities. For most of her life, the press had been overwhelmingly supportive of her, praising her courage and intelligence. But after she expressed her socialist views, some criticized her by calling attention to her disabilities. One newspaper, the Brooklyn Eagle, wrote that her "mistakes sprung out of the manifest limitations of her development."

In 1946, Keller was appointed counselor of international relations for the American Foundation of Overseas Blind. Between 1946 and 1957, she traveled to 35 countries on five continents.

In 1955, at age 75, Keller embarked on the longest and most grueling trip of her life: a 40,000-mile, five-month trek across Asia. Through her many speeches and appearances, she brought inspiration and encouragement to millions of people.

Helen Keller Movie: 'The Miracle Worker'

Keller's autobiography, The Story of My Life, was used as the basis for 1957 television drama The Miracle Worker.

In 1959, the story was developed into a Broadway play of the same title, starring Patty Duke as Keller and Anne Bancroft as Sullivan. The two actresses also performed those roles in the 1962 award-winning film version of the play.

Helen Keller's Awards and Honors

During her lifetime, she received many honors in recognition of her accomplishments, including the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal in 1936, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, and election to the Women's Hall of Fame in 1965.

Keller also received honorary doctoral degrees from Temple University and Harvard University and from the universities of Glasgow, Scotland; Berlin, Germany; Delhi, India; and Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. She was named an Honorary Fellow of the Educational Institute of Scotland.

When and How Helen Keller Died

Keller died in her sleep on June 1, 1968, just a few weeks before her 88th birthday. Keller suffered a series of strokes in 1961 and spent the remaining years of her life at her home in Connecticut.

During her remarkable life, Keller stood as a powerful example of how determination, hard work, and imagination can allow an individual to triumph over adversity. By overcoming difficult conditions with a great deal of persistence, she grew into a respected and world-renowned activist who labored for the betterment of others.

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Helen Keller was an American educator, advocate for the blind and deaf and co-founder of the ACLU. Stricken by an illness at the age of 2, Keller was left blind and deaf. Beginning in 1887, Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904.

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Helen Keller - Perkins School for the Blind

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Helen Keller (1880-1968) was an author, disability rights advocate and lecturer who studied at Perkins School for the Blind.

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Helen Keller was an author, lecturer, and crusader for the handicapped. Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, She lost her sight and hearing at the age of nineteen months to an illness now believed to have been scarlet fever. Five years later, on the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, her parents applied to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston for a teacher, and from that school hired Anne Mansfield Sullivan. Through Sullivan's extraordinary instruction, the little girl learned to understand and communicate with the world around her. She went on to acquire an excellent education and to become an important influence on the treatment of the blind and deaf.

Keller learned from Sullivan to read and write in Braille and to use the hand signals of the deaf-mute, which she could understand only by touch. Her later efforts to learn to speak were less successful, and in her public appearances she required the assistance of an interpreter to make herself understood. Nevertheless, her impact as educator, organizer, and fund-raiser was enormous, and she was responsible for many advances in public services to the handicapped.

With Sullivan repeating the lectures into her hand, Keller studied at schools for the deaf in Boston and New York City and graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College in 1904. Her unprecedented accomplishments in overcoming her disabilities made her a celebrity at an early age; at twelve she published an autobiographical sketch in the Youth's Companion, and during her junior year at Radcliffe she produced her first book, The Story of My Lif e, still in print in over fifty languages. Keller published four other books of her personal experiences as well as a volume on religion, one on contemporary social problems, and a biography of Anne Sullivan. She also wrote numerous articles for national magazines on the prevention of blindness and the education and special problems of the blind.

In addition to her many appearances on the lecture circuit, Keller in 1918 made a movie in Hollywood, Deliverance, to dramatize the plight of the blind and during the next two years supported herself and Sullivan on the vaudeville stage. She also spoke and wrote in support of women's rights and other liberal causes and in 1940 strongly backed the United States' entry into World War II.

In 1924, Keller joined the staff of the newly formed American Foundation for the Blind as an adviser and fund-raiser. Her international reputation and warm personality enabled her to enlist the support of many wealthy people, and she secured large contributions from Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and leaders of the motion picture industry. When the AFB established a branch for the overseas blind, it was named Helen Keller International. Keller and Sullivan were the subjects of a Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Miracle Worker, by William Gibson, which opened in New York in 1959 and became a successful Hollywood film in 1962.

Widely honored throughout the world and invited to the White House by every U.S. president from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Johnson, Keller altered the world's perception of the capacities of the handicapped. More than any act in her long life, her courage, intelligence, and dedication combined to make her a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.

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Helen Keller was an author, lecturer, and crusader for the handicapped. Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, She lost her sight and hearing at the age of nineteen months to an illness now believed to have been scarlet fever.

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Helen Keller: Biography of a Great Thinker

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Muffin Stories - Helen Keller (Helen Adams Keller)