Introduction to Learning ASL: Starts Oct. 30

This course provides hearing students with an introduction to American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf culture. It is designed for students who have little or no knowledge of ASL. Students will learn basic sign language, useful sign vocabulary and expressions, specific grammatical features of ASL, communicative facial expressions and body language, and aspects of Deaf culture. Through a variety of communicative activities, students will develop receptive and expressive skills to enable them to exchange basic greetings, share personal information, identify others, and give simple directions. They will also learn conversational and cultural behaviors that would enable them to converse in ASL at a beginner’s level with users of ASL who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Charlie McNulty is a special education teacher at a transfer charter high school in Brooklyn, NYC. Originally from Canada, he has lived and taught in Seoul, Toronto, and New York.  He has experience teaching in Department of Education schools, as well as private schools over the years.  Charlie has taught a number of subjects including English, ESL, Geography, Living Environment, US and Global History, Careers, and American Sign Language (ASL). Charlie has taught using ASL as the language of instruction to Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing students, as well as teaching ASL as a language to hearing high school students a number of times. 

Furthermore, Charlie grew up in an ASL/English bilingual family where both languages were used interchangeably. He has a literal lifetime of experience signing, studying ASL, and using it frequently in his teaching practice.