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Sunday, February 5th
Sign Language 101 is the creation of Dr. Byron Bridges, a deaf educator who has used ASL as his primary language his entire life. His enthusiastic teaching style makes ASL a joy to learn, and it must be contagious because the other signers featured on this platform's social media channels are equally engaging.
A wealth of free sign language lessons
You'll be impressed with how much you can learn for free - no need to create an account or sign up in any way, because it's all right on the Sign Language 101 website. (Shocker: you'll find them under the Free Videos tab at the top of the page.) Want to learn the ABCs? How about how facial expressions matter in sign language? Numbers? Calendar words? Animals? You get all of that and much more. There's also an impressive amount of current vocabulary (like holidays, seasons, and so on) on Sign Language 101's social media channels; we love the way this demonstrates this company's commitment to being relevant and helping ASL learners to master exactly what they need at the right time.
Affordable paid plans
If you're looking for a structured program, take a look at Sign Language 101's two 10-week courses (appropriately named Level 1 and Level 2). They're designed to take you at least 10 weeks each, and you can preview up to the first six lessons in each one through the site. Each level costs $30, or you can buy them together as the "Complete" package and pay $50. That's a one-time fee, and you can use the lessons as much or as little as you want, with no time limit. If you need a certificate of completion when you're finished, you can request one with all paid plans.
30-day refund policy
What if you buy Sign Language 101 and decide you don't like it? You can get a refund within 30 days of your purchase date, but only if you have completed less than 50% of the level you purchased (or 25% of the Complete Online ASL course).
See for yourself
We'd love to see student feedback for Sign Language 101, but it's a little hard to come by. Then again, is it really necessary to read other people's reviews when you can already access so much ASL content for free, right on the website? We don't think so either!
Risk-free option for learning sign language
There's really no reason not to give Sign Language 101 a go. You could easily spend many hours taking advantage of every free lesson on their website before paying a dime - but with such a low one-time fee, why not track your progress and get a nice certificate at the end? We applaud this service for giving learners of almost all ages an affordable way to study ASL at their own pace.
Whether you're interested in connecting with people in the Deaf community, trying to communicate with a non-verbal child, or facing hearing loss yourself, you're in good company. It's estimated that over 500,000 people in the US and Canada use American Sign Language (ASL).
If you're hoping to learn to sign, it's important to choose lessons that teach not just the signs themselves but also about Deaf culture and the differences between ASL and English. (It surprises many people when they learn that they don't correspond in a 1:1 fashion. In fact, ASL often uses a completely different word order, and facial expressions are a critical component of using ASL fluently.
Sign language lessons that include different instructors can help you see that individuals often have their own unique way of signing - just like someone from the South has a spoken accent that's very distinct from a New Yorker. Going back to the question of where to learn ASL, it might be possible to find classes nearby at a community college or even a library. Will they fit your schedule? Your budget?
Maybe, maybe not. Fortunately, there are many providers of sign language lessons online that let you study at your own pace, any time of day or night. (And hey, unlike other language lessons, you don't have to worry about disturbing people as you practice ASL in a quiet public place!)
What should you look for as you choose where to take sign language lessons through the internet? Here are some suggestions that can help you narrow down the options:
TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best Sign Language lessons available today. We hope these reviews help you open new doors of communication as you learn to sign fluently in ASL right away!
Select any 2 Sign Language Lessons to compare them head to head