I attended my first sign class on Monday, and it was so great! There were nursing students, social workers, athletes, babysitters, and a couple with a deaf daughter who all wanted to learn to communicate with the different people they interact with. I have mild to moderate hearing loss and wear a hearing aid so it never occurred to me to learn sign, but I registered for the class at the suggestion of my boyfriend who has a deaf relative and thought it would help me in noisy situations. The best part is that, despite being a beginning class, the instructor signs everything he says so you can pick up words even if you're totally unfamiliar with the language.