Berkeley City College’s American Sign Language (ASL) program enables students to acquire the communicative competence in ASL and the cultural sensitivity needed to interact successfully with members of the American Deaf community.

ASL is the fourth most used language in the United States. It is the major language that the American Deaf population uses.

Students who will benefit from this program include the following: those who wish to expand their language skills and cultural knowledge to enhance other majors (e.g., interpreting, education, social work, and psychology); those who need to fulfill a university foreign language requirement; parents of deaf children; and deafened adults. Students will develop skills which will also make them more marketable to potential employers who encounter the Deaf.

Students who complete the program will be able to: • Demonstrate expressive competence in ASL. • Demonstrate receptive competence in ASL. • Demonstrate awareness of and respect for the language, history and culture of Deaf people, including their values, beliefs, and customs. • Demonstrate appropriate cultural behavior at events where a majority of attendees are Deaf people and ASL native signers, e.g. school, club, organization, etc.