Hi All

[FredW]

Just joined the site.  i have been using this site for a while to improve my receptive skills.  I am hard of hearing and wear hearing aids.  Because of this it has made me aware of how helpful it would be to know ASL.  I work at the information desk at a hospital and have had a couple of occasions to use ASL although I struggle with it.  I have been following Bill Vicars for a couple of years and have attended a couple of in person ASL classses.  

[AmberASL]

Welcome, your work lobby sounds like the perfect place to practice ASL, would it help to have a button, hat, scarf, or an apron with something related to ASL on it that people can see, and think of using ASL while they are there?  Is there an interpreter there, and would they find themselves in the lobby if they knew someone there was learning to become fluent?

  I've been learning ASL for nearly six months and just signed up for a class that starts in a week and a half.  Would you have any advice to brace me for the experience?  The accompanying book, I already know most of the words in it, so I'll mostly be concentrating on receptiveness and confidence in doing so.  Clips from ASL scenes in TV shows are also good for becoming familiar with signing reception, as it's usually kept short and often uses fluent inflections.

I'll also have to focus on one of those ancient PBS ASL videos, number two was about commissioning a newspaper article, but it was quite long.  I've made a cursory pass through them all, and it very clearly details life in the 70's, and most of the signs used were recognizeable from Vicar's set.  I think they used an older sign for the word "everything", but seeing the differences helped me understand the sign better.

[FredW]

Wish I had some great advice to give you, but I really don't.  I didn't know what to expect at my first class, but it was a beginner class and I found that I knew more than I realized.  The next class was advanced and it was pretty easy as well.  My schedule prevents me now from enrolling again. Maybe when the "Covid" thing calms down I can resume attending class.

[AmberASL]

Oh okay, I'm joining the second class of two, but I prolly still know most of the material, which works out well as I need to focus on learning fluency.  Hopefully it's going to be taught entirely in ASL.

[FredW]

Best of luck, I'm sure you will do fine!