American Sign Language

A complete, natural language that uses hand movements, facial expressions, and body posture to convey meaning, serving as the primary language of many Deaf people in the United States and parts of Canada. ASL has its own grammar and syntax distinct from English and is not a visual representation of English. Research has shown that early exposure to ASL benefits deaf children's cognitive development and English literacy. ASL is the third most studied language at U.S. universities, and technology to support ASL learning, recognition, and generation is an active area of accessibility research.