American Sign Language (ASL) is the language of most Deaf Canadians. It is a visual language made up of specific gestures (signs), hand shapes and facial expressions. It has its own unique grammatical rules and sentence structure.
Our qualified Deaf instructors use Signing Naturally, a sign language curriculum developed at Vista Community College in Berkley, California, that teaches both ASL and Deaf culture to help you better understand the communication needs of the Deaf community. A "no-voice" teaching method is used to reinforce the learning experience. You'll learn through classroom instruction and role-play.
We offer 6 courses ranging from beginner to intermediate:
Beginner courses (ASL Level 101-103): These courses are designed to introduce students to ASL. Concepts discussed relate to people, places and things within the immediate environment. Students learn to handle basic, everyday communication such as exchanging information, identifying, describing others, and asking for clarification.
Intermediate courses (ASL Level 201-203): These courses emphasize language in context: Locating things, learning numeracy, making requests with inflection, talk about life events and family histories, describing objects and having social conversation.
If you have no previous knowledge of ASL, you begin with ASL Level 101. If you have some ASL experience, contact NLAD to book an ASL skill assessment.
Learning any language takes a great deal of time, energy and commitment. To be able to sign is only part of the process. You must be able to understand ASL signed by a native user. People learn at different rates so it's difficult to predict how long it will take to learn ASL.
Commencing September 2019, there will be price changes in effect to ALL ASL courses as follows:
ASL Level 101 $150 (20 hours)
ASL Level 102 $180 (24 hours)
ASL Level 103 $180 (24 hours)
ASL Level 201 $180 (24 hours)
ASL Level 202 $180 (24 hours)
ASL Level 203 $180 (24 hours)
Please note: If the minimum requirement of students registered aren't met, classes will be cancelled or rescheduled to the next available session.
Textbooks
Textbooks cost $130 and are not included in the course price.
ASL Levels 101-103 utilizes the same textbook throughout all three levels as shown below.
