Building bridges into the worlds of sign language.
About S.T. Lassal and Project FingerAlphabet
The books on this site come from Project FingerAlphabet, a pro bono publico project by the German illustrator and author S.T. Lassal. The project was nominated for the German Award for Civic Engagement.
S.T. Lassal
S.T. Lassal is a professional illustrator, artist, and author specializing in sign language education materials. As the creator of Project FingerAlphabet, Lassal developed custom professional sign language fonts and worked with acknowledged sign language experts across multiple countries, including Gallaudet University for the ASL alphabet, to make sure every illustration is accurate and shown from the viewer’s perspective.
Lassal’s books include illustrated guides to international sign language alphabets, fingerspelling word search puzzles, and sign language coloring books.
Project FingerAlphabet
Project FingerAlphabet is a pro bono publico project dedicated to making accurate sign language materials accessible. It began in the pre-YouTube era, when reliable sign language reference material was hard to find online. Today, fingeralphabet.org offers free downloadable alphabet charts for more than twelve sign languages.
The materials are used by educational institutions, government agencies, and international organizations in many countries. The project was nominated for the German Award for Civic Engagement.
How the alphabets are validated
All hand-shape illustrations are created individually and drawn from the viewer’s perspective: the way you see a hand when someone signs to you, not the way it is easiest to draw. Before an alphabet is published, at least two independent, acknowledged experts validate it. The ASL alphabet was validated by several experts, including Gallaudet University.
The fonts in the books are based on these validated illustrations. All experts and institutions are listed on fingeralphabet.org.
The books
The word search books are published by LegendaryMedia in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. They turn the validated alphabet into practice: two series, one for teens and adults and one for kids.