The American School for the Deaf, located in Hartford, Connecticut, offers sign language classes to deaf and hearing-impaired children and adults as part of their outreach program. Community sign language classes held at the school are available to those age 16 or older as weekly evening classes. There are also classes for youths of 12 to 16, children and babies. Sign language classes for the parents of deaf children are held at the school and in community locations.
The Northern Virginia Community College offers courses in sign language through their Faculty of Languages and Literature, at their Annadale campus. Two courses are offered, aimed primarily at those wanting to work with the deaf community. The American Sign Language to English Interpretation course is a two year Associate of Applied Science degree. It provides training for those who want to become a community or educational interpreter working with deaf people. The Social Science with Specialization in Deaf Studies course is a two year Associate of Science degree aimed at students who want to transfer to a four year college to complete a programme that requires knowledge of sign language and of the deaf community.
Signing Family offers courses in American Sign Language for hearing parents and children in the Washington, DC, area. Signing Family cite research that shows benefits to hearing families of learning sign language. These include better language development, improved IQ scores, improved ability to learn other languages, and lessening of frustration as children who cannot yet speak can communicate their needs to their parents. Signing Family offers both private and public classes.
The University of Rochester offers a full four-year undergraduate degree in American Sign Language, through the Faculty of Humanities. It can be taken as either a major or minor subject. The course includes classes in ASL, deaf literature, deaf culture, linguistics, and teaching ASL as a second language. The course is aimed at those who want to work with the deaf community, such as deaf educators, interpreters, counselors, researchers and other community workers.