American Sign Language (ASL) is the language of the Deaf community in the United States. ASL uses manual signs, facial expressions, body movements and postures to convey complex linguistic information. It has its own system of articulation, forming words and sentences, and meaning.

Students of ASL often gain a new perspective on how all languages are structured. In learning a language that uses a different modality of expression from spoken languages, students can conceptualize properties common to all languages.  

The study of ASL also provides practical training to enter a number of careers open up to people interested in professional work in deaf-related fields—for example, sign language interpreter, sign language instructor, counselor, and community service worker. As public awareness of deafness has grown, there has been a corresponding interest in American Sign Language. ASL is estimated to be the fourth most commonly used language in the United States and can be used for both personal and professional purposes. ASL can be used to:

         ·  communicate with deaf people.

         ·  learn about the social, historical, educational and
            cultural aspects of the deaf.

         ·  meet the Foreign Language requirement at many
            colleges.

         ·  prepare for deaf education teacher training programs.

         ·  Prepare for interpreter training programs

         ·  meet high school graduation foreign language
            requirement.

         ·  apply in the areas of management and personnel.

         ·  apply in the areas of mass media such as television,
            development of visual aids, videos, closed captioning,
            etc.

Evening ASL I and ASL II courses are scheduled on an as needed basis. ASL I introduces students to basic signing skills including conversational strategies, spatial referencing and facial expression. In ASL II students continue to develop basic signing skills including spatial agreement and object identification through description.

If you are interested in taking ASL I or II, contact the OWATC Enrollment Office, Student Services Bldg, Room SS101, 801-627-8420 and provide your name and contact information. We will contact you when the next class is scheduled.

We are currently developing two additional courses: Deaf History and Deaf Culture. In the future we will continue to add courses to establish an Interpreter Preparation Program which will prepare students to work as professional interpreters serving deaf people in a variety of settings--schools, law enforcement agencies, courts, medical centers, and libraries, to name a few. As deaf people pursue a greater variety of fields and professions, the need for qualified interpreters will continue to grow.