The Unspoken Room
Foundations
A six-week beginner ASL experience for people who want to communicate more confidently and respectfully with Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
Beginner ASL · Visual Communication · Deaf/HOH Culture
What The Unspoken Room Is
The Unspoken Room — Foundations is a six-week beginner ASL experience built around language, visual communication,
culture, and relationship.
It is designed for absolute beginners, people returning to ASL after time away, family members and friends of Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, and anyone who wants a stronger foundation for
communicating across hearing experiences.
Why It Exists
Communication often breaks down long before people stop caring about one another.
Sometimes the barrier is language. Sometimes it is unfamiliarity with visual communication. Sometimes people simply have never been taught what to do when the communication method they normally rely on is no longer sufficient.
The Unspoken Room exists to create stronger conditions for understanding.
Learning ASL here is not only about learning signs.
It is about learning how to remain in communication.
The Experience
6 Weeks
90 Minutes Weekly
9 Hours of Live Learning
18 Participants Maximum
The Unspoken Room is a live cohort experience. Students learn through instruction, observation, movement, conversation, repetition, peer interaction, and guided practice.
Instructional materials are released progressively after each session so that review reinforces what has already been experienced in the room.
September Cohorts
September 2026
In Person
Wednesdays · 7:00–8:30 PM ET
September 16, 23, 30
October 7, 14, 21
Live Online
Thursdays · 7:00–8:30 PM ET
September 17, 24
October 1, 8, 15, 22
6 weeks · 90 minutes weekly · $225
Both cohorts follow the same Foundations curriculum and are designed as distinct live learning environments.
The in-person cohort centers shared physical space and visual interaction, while the online cohort extends access beyond geography.
In-Person Location
The course will be held in the Bear / Newark / New Castle area. The exact location will be confirmed before the first session.
What You'll Learn
Foundations is designed to help you move from
recognition into communication.
By the end of the six weeks, participants will have practiced how to:
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fingerspell the alphabet;
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understand and use numbers 1–100;
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recognize and produce common signs and phrases;
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introduce themselves;
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ask and answer basic questions;
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express common needs and preferences;
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participate in a short beginner conversation;
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understand foundational handshape, placement, movement, body positioning, and facial grammar;
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appropriately get a Deaf person’s attention;
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recognize foundational Deaf/HOH cultural norms and communication expectations;
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use writing, texting, gesturing, clarification, and other strategies when ASL alone is not yet enough.
The goal is not to leave six weeks knowing every sign. The goal is to leave with a stronger foundation for staying in communication.
How Learning Happens Here
The Unspoken Room does not assume that every learner reaches visual language through the same conditions.
Some people need repetition.
Some need movement broken down slowly.
Some need to see themselves signing.
Some learn through observation.
Some understand through conversation.
Some benefit from spoken or written support while they build
confidence in visual language.
Instruction adapts without lowering the expectation of
meaningful engagement with ASL.
Learning happens through live instruction, demonstration, observation, receptive practice, expressive practice, peer interaction, guided correction, repetition, and conversation.
Students are given space to practice with one another, observe different signing styles, ask questions, receive individual guidance when needed, and develop greater comfort communicating visually.
The live experience comes first.
Instructional materials are released after each session so that review reinforces what has already been introduced in the room. As the six weeks progress, students gradually build access to the full Foundations Video Library, practice prompts,
and supporting resources.
The Unspoken Room provides enough structure for students to continue learning between sessions without making independent study a substitute for the live learning relationship.