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<DIV><FONT size=5>Well, I took ASL and had to drop it for personal
reasons! But the space is so your sign interpreters are close enough to
communicate with you! It is harder the further away you are! I did
not get much help in my classes, more help was from this list, thank you!
Thinker spelling is not ASL so you will have to learn the signs eventually in
order to speak to someone who is using ASL. There is no Braille or audio
materials that one can use to learn ASL, unless someone has come up with them in
the past 3 months! I gather you cant speak in the class to ask what that
person signed and you have to do it outside of class! The braille book
store has a list of everyday signs but get this, it is not in braille; the
braille book store not having something in braille! And the ASL books in
braille from the NLS did nothing to teach you because, the print pages with the
signs were "omitted" from the braille pages. So why braille a book on
learning ASL signs if you are not to going to tell you how to make the
signs. Also, <A class=l href="https://www.learningally.org/"><FONT
color=#0000cc size=3>Learning Ally's readers chose not to
</FONT></A>enlighten us "blind" readers on how to make the signs , even though
the book said "a guide to learning ASL" OR "THE DICTIONARY TO ASL"
ETC. So half of the book is omitted! HKC as far as I know does not
have braille materials outside of the center and I don't know about within the
center! I think perkins or Hadley has on sight classes but, the rest of
the blind don't always live near these places. I find, just my oppinion,
the regular deaf population does not have pacients enough to sit to help someone
who cant see the signs in class. Not all are like this but, there were 20
students taken ASL here in austin and only 1 is still taking it and they are
failing for the second time because there is no support! I would try to
make sure you have a good support system at your school that, can work with you
in the class, in the labs and is willing to work with you in the deaf
community! I would also recommend you to take the 3 times a week instead
of the twice or once a week! Heather </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>