“The classes are great. Not too big and the instructors are patient and very interested in us doing well.”

“This group is a wonderful way for working adults to introduce themselves to ASL and deaf culture. Our instructor was knowledgeable, patient, motivated instructor who made our online classes fun and engaging. They also provided several opportunities to practice outside of class and meet others in the community. I highly recommend ASL Champs to anyone interested in giving ASL a try.”

“The instructors are very enthusiastic and make learning ASL fun! It’s neat to see how creative instructors get through Zoom learning and we love the interaction with other students.”

“It is always hard to start a new language, but Jen and the team at ASL Champs provide a comfortable, friendly and fun learning environment where it’s ok to not get it right the first time. The immersion approach (silent class, all on video) is fantastic. The repetition of the curriculum week to week is helpful in skill building. I appreciate how the instructors strive to get in regular class practice, but are also willing to share about deaf culture and answer questions (we even play games!). I am always nervous at the start of every class, but as soon as we start I know we’re all learning together and the instructors are encouraging and understanding. I love how these classes are for everyone too – young, old and every age in between. I can’t wait to learn more!”

What a great way to learn ASL! The classes are very interactive and the students are signing simple sentences back and forth to each other on the very first day of ASL 1A. The classes are immersive (no voices) so you’re learning a new language in a natural way. It’s a comfortable environment where it’s understood you’re going to make mistakes and we could laugh together when we did. We learned about Deaf culture which is important to me. This class was one of the highlights of my week!

Jen was amazing! I loved her teaching style and how friendly she was. She was very patient.

Thank you for creating an affordable space for hearing folks to integrate into the culture; this organization is a brilliant example of how immersion should be. Thanks to Matt for [his] patience with the class and dead pan/funny personality. Thank you all.

Really enjoyed the two classes I’ve taken with Jen. She’s a terrific teacher and really does a great job of bringing everyone along, even in the Zoom format.

Classes are great and fantastic instructor!

JENN IS CHAMP!

I think the Zoom classes were great. It’s always better in person, but given the climate of our world, I really appreciate the Zoom classes. And it’s very easy for me to get to and don’t have to travel into Richmond!

Matt was great!

Always a joy to learn at ASL Champs!

I like the flexibility the class had as schedule conflicts arose. Being able to do classes online cuts out drive time but it’s always better in person and less distractions when not at home. The material that the teacher used was very useful and a good match for our class.

Jen is awesome!

Jennifer is a wonderful teacher. She is personable and animated. I looked forward to seeing her each week. I am surprised how much I learned over the course of six weeks. It was a struggle to make each session, but I needed the break from speaking to “feeling” my words. I realized how important to communicate with my full body and not just my hands. I would take this class a million times over.

I’ve really enjoyed learning ASL through ASL Champs. In the past, I’ve taken ASL courses that were taught by hearing teachers and I truly do think that learning from Deaf instructors makes such as big difference. There are certain nuances and things around culture that a hearing person wouldn’t be able to fully articulate. Not only am I learning conversational ASL, I am feeling confident enough to have a conversation if I were to encounter a deaf or HH person. Love this opportunity.

I had the opportunity to take 1A and 1B through work and I jumped on the chance to take 2A (currently) on my own. ASL Champs is giving me the chance to relearn the ASL I forgot from high school and to learn MUCH more. I am excited to learn the signs and to communicate with others via sign, and I thoroughly enjoy learning about deaf culture. The instructors are welcoming and patient. Practice between classes definitely helps retention. For me, ASL is the most useful “foreign language” out there, one I will use right here, right now. Thank you for offering your classes! You have reignited a desire to learn that I’ve had for decades.

The introductory class to ASL Champs was taught in a very user-friendly online environment. All ages and abilities participated, and there was plenty of laughter and encouragement along the way. The instructors are deaf and we learned the “why” behind some of deaf culture aspects, basic handshapes and finger spelling. We played games to reinforce what we learned and had the extra bonus of reviewing the class recordings for practice on our own time. Written words on white boards were used effectively for clarity and “Chat” was also used and a good tool to ask questions. We reviewed signs from previous lessons each class meeting to reinforce what we had learned and there is an opportunity to join an extra weekly practice session for a modest fee which I highly recommend. For an absolute beginner, you will be pleasantly surprised how many words you will learn and you will have a good foundation to grow your signing knowledge. And if you know a little bit already, this is a good refresher class to get back into signing.

The classes were fun and informative.

I had so much fun in the classes! The teachers are enthusiastic and positive, and they made the learning process fun. Highly recommend!