Writing & Languages

ASL Basics for Everyday Use

Meets Thursdays · 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM · on Zoom Fall 2026 · registration open Free to audit

This class runs in the Fall 2026 session. Registration is open now; lessons, materials, and the class discussion board are posted before it begins.

sooo this is a class for people who want to actually use asl, not just pass a quiz on it. we start with the useful stuff.. bathroom, help, wait, thank you, i'm sorry.. the signs you reach for in a hallway or a lunch line or across the dinner table. we'll do a little fingerspelling (a tool, not the whole point), some real conversation structure, and a bunch of practice with actual humans in the room instead of a video that teaches you the wrong thing.

no experience needed. good for parents, coworkers, anybody who's ever felt useless in one of those little gaps where you wished you knew a few signs.

you'll leave able to hold a short, slow, real conversation. that's the whole goal. 🤙 ~terry

What you'll learn

Sign five essential words like bathroom and wait
Use handshape, location, and facial grammar correctly
Fingerspell your name and read others' spelling
Hold a short first conversation start to finish
Ask questions and answer yes, no, or unclear

Lessons

the useful five (start here)
the handful of signs you'll actually reach for before you know anything else.
- why we start with bathroom15 min
- help, wait, and okay20 min
- thank you and i'm sorry15 min
- putting the five together20 min
your hands and your face
handshape and location matter, and your face is doing half the talking whether you like it or not.
- handshape and location (why fine went wrong)20 min
- your face is grammar25 min
- slow is faster15 min
- doing it wrong on purpose15 min
- pairing up and practicing20 min
fingerspelling without the panic
the alphabet is a tool for names and gaps, not the finish line, and reading it back is the hard part nobody warns you about.
- the alphabet, but calm about it25 min
- spelling your own name (slower than that)20 min
- reading it back (i'm bad at this too)20 min
- when to spell and when to just sign15 min
everyday people and everyday talk
greetings, introductions, and the small-talk scaffolding that gets a real short conversation going.
- hello, how are you, my name is20 min
- asking questions with your eyebrows20 min
- yes, no, and i don't understand15 min
- a first little conversation start to finish25 min
signs for real life
food, family, time, feelings.. the signs you'll use around the house and at work every week.
- food and drink (holland fixed my milk)20 min
- family and people15 min
- time, days, and i'm done let's go20 min
- feelings and are you okay20 min
- signing with kids at home15 min
going further, honestly
a light look at deaf culture and where to go next, because this is a language with people attached to it.
- deaf culture isn't a footnote20 min
- apps for review, humans for learning15 min
- where to go from here (finding deaf instructors)20 min
- last practice and a real exchange25 min

Class discussion

The class discussion board opens when the class begins this fall. Auditors and enrolled students ask questions and share work here once the session starts.