If you’ve always wanted to learn American Sign Language, MTSU is eager to give you a hand — and show you how to use it.

The university’s Center for Accelerated Language Acquisition will offer two five-day videoconference instruction sessions designed to help you communicate with people who are deaf or who have hearing impairments.

Parts one and two of the instruction are combined into each session. The first session is scheduled for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday, May 24-28. The second session is slated for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday, June 14-18.

Instruction will include greetings, numbers, colors, body parts, the alphabet and elements of basic, everyday conversation, learned through games and other fun hands-on activities.

Since each class will be capped at 30 participants, enrollees are encouraged to register as soon as possible; the registration deadline for the first session is Friday, May 21, and the second session’s registration deadline is Friday, June 11.

You can register online at this website.

Fees are $185 for MTSU and high school students; $250 for MTSU faculty, staff and alumni; and $300 for the general public.

“It has been great to have the ASL course (as) an online class,” said Brianna S., an environmental health and safety specialist. “I have been able to enjoy interacting and practicing with my classmates, engage and play games and do all of this conveniently at home. The class itself is so much fun, and the fact that it can be done virtually makes it even easier to accommodate … my schedule.”

To find out more about the courses, email Brian Roberts, CALA’s associate director, at brian.roberts@mtsu.edu or acceleratedacquisition@gmail.com.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)