How to learn ASL

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Are you a new parent of a Deaf child? Do you have a Deaf family member or friend you want to better communicate with? Do you interact with a Deaf person at your job? But where can you start with learning American Sign Language (ASL)?!

There’s been a lot of videos going around from the deaf community expressing the frustration about hearing people teaching ASL. Many may see this as gatekeeping, but right now sign language is a ‘trend’. There are so many influencers who teach ASL or do signing music videos. Most often those hearing people only took one class/course (not an expert). The deaf community wants those who truly want to learn ASL for inclusivity to learn from an accurate teacher. That’s why deaf teachers comes highly recommended because ASL is their first language. Also with a deaf teacher, you get it all by learning about the deaf culture too!

But what if you live somewhere rural or inaccessible to an ASL class taught by a deaf teacher? I can understand… I’ve been there, that is my hometown in Upstate NY in a nutshell. The internet is wonderful resource these days! There are so many virtual classes offered by deaf teachers. You can’t get more authentic to learn from a deaf teacher, and trust me I’ve seen the difference whether you learn from a hearing vs deaf teacher!

Here are some resources:

FREE ASL CONTENT

ONLINE CLASSES

BOOK

“Learn to Sign with Your Baby: 50 Essential ASL Signs To Help Your Child Communicate Their Needs, Wants, and Feelings” by Cecilia S. Grugan

INTERNET

APP

  • The ASL App

  • Lingvano app

I will be continuing to keep this list updated as possible. Don’t hesitant to reach out if you need more help in finding resources to learn American Sign Language!