What is American Sign Language?
American Sign Language or ASL is the official language of Deaf people in North America. It is primarily used by the Deaf individuals to communicate with each other, as well as with the larger hearing world. Interpreters for the Deaf and hearing professionals often use ASL to communicate with their Deaf and hard-of-hearing clients.
It is commonly believed that ASL is a word-by-word imitation of English, but this sign language uses a different grammatical structure altogether, and as any hearing language, it has the history and culture of North America Deaf communities embedded within it.
Not having a vocal component does not make ASL any easier to learn. Unknown to most people, sign language requires facial expressions to convey context and spatial dimension to clearly express oneself. Whether it be poetry, lyrics, philosophy or politics, ASL can easily be used to instruct, inform or illustrate an abstract concept just as simply as any spoken language.
Why learn ASL?
The advantages in learning ASL can be applied both to your personal and professional goals. This language is key to interacting with a Deaf or hard-of-hearing family member or friend, whether it be a newborn or an older relative, a neighbour or a close friend.
It is also just as valuable in your workplace, especially if it serves a Deaf or hard- of-hearing clientele, or if you work closely with other Deaf employees. Employers are always looking to hire personnel with various skills and attributes. By learning how to sign you can easily bridge the gap to an untapped market of Deaf and hard- of-hearing-individuals, or brainstorm with a Deaf or hard-of-hearing fellow co-worker.
ASL for visual interpreters
By registering into several advanced courses in ASL at the Lethbridge-Layton-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre, you may also want to pursue a career in visual interpreting for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing. In fact, the courses offered at our Centre are an excellent first step in obtaining your interpreting certificate later either at the provincial or federal level.
ASL courses
The Lethbridge-Layton-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre is proud to partner with Seeing Voices Montreal (SVM), a community organization specializing in providing ASL services with qualified instructors, to offer in-person ASL classes at the MAB site or virtually. For 
more information or to register for an ASL class, please visit the SVM website.