How to Learn American Sign Language in 2025

Jon shares his tips for everyone learning American Sign Language.

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About Jon:
A child of a Deafblind adult that shares his stories and humor through video storytelling.

[Ravenkaraart]

I have recently begun to come to terms with the fact that I'm losing my hearing and I've begun learning ASL. I will be signing up for ASL Spring soon!

[janus]

I’m hopeful that learning ASL will make my services as a therapist more accessible, as I’ve been told the deaf community is often starved of mental health resources due to a lack of accessibility. Thanks for the tips!

[Goldswan]

I am 58 years old and decided for no reason to learn sign language. I always thought it was the coolest language. My problem is I don't know any deaf people to practice with so it is all YouTube videos for me. Your teaching style works well for me as do a couple of others.

[cursecuelebre]

I want to learn ASL because as someone who works in retail will experience customers and co workers who are deaf and I feel as if it’s necessary thing to learn. I felt so bad that I had a customer who was deaf luckily had her sister, I only know how to sign “thank you” and signed thank you and she was so happy.

[classyrebel]

My austim sometimes prevents me from talking its really frustrating and why I'm trying to learn sign so i still have a way to communicate when i can't speak

[bakayaroonna]

I think ASL should be a K-12 language requirement in the US. If we all learned sign language, we could better communicate with each other, whatever language we spoke. I know a few signs, enough to make students comfortable when greeting them. I also know some of the protocol when speaking to deah people and their interpreters. However, languages of any kind have always been difficult for me so I stumble a lot. So happy I found your HH and HB shorts because it brought me here!

[bringmychariot]

The fact that I was actually able to recognize and remember the direct translations of some of the signs here gives me a great feeling that I'm not as hopeless as I thought. Now I've just got to remember to stop reading lips (I have an auditory processing disorder and reading lips helps me not have to ask people to repeat themselves, lol) and start paying attention to hands more. It'll be a difficult transition, but it'll definitely be worth it! ❤😅

Edit to add (in case anyone is curious:) I taught myself to read lips at an early age because I'd often get in trouble for "not paying attention" in school. I have ADHD plus APD and the noise of the classroom made it hard to process what the teacher was saying. Often times, it led to me being asked a question and not being able to answer because I either didn't process the question right away or just didn't process the information prior. So, I started reading lips! It is a very handy skill but accents and volume make it harder as the mouth forms words differently. So, it's not perfect, lol.

Why did I add this? Because I feel that it's important to understand that even if a deaf person can read lips, it doesn't mean that they're going to catch everything you say. I struggle with it as a hearing person and still often have to rely on context based on what I can catch. Learning sign language is so important to help those in the deaf and sign community have more access to help and just a new buddy to sign with.

Much love, y'all! 💋🤟💋🤟

[Charmed]

I am learning to sign more so I can communicate better with my husbands niece (she is HoH). I started learning at 12 for when I have non-verbal panic attacks. Also for when I need hearing breaks from overlapping noise (I can’t filter too much noise!) My husband and his sister both sign and I’m currently working through the ASL Spring modules!

[FangsMcGee]

I took an ASL course at my community college and after I think two or three classes my (hearing) teacher had a back injury and she was out for the rest of the term. Her deaf TA taught the class for the remainder of the term and honestly I think that it was a better class because of it.

[Umbrellaoflove]

I learned ASL through my deaf friend in high school, and then I realized how much I’d rather communicate bysigning then speaking. Funny, I ended up hereditary condition that causes deaf and blindness among a lot of other health related issues. I’m now looking for learning, tactile signing which is pretty much ASL but through the body as I’m not able to see and I’m losing my hearing. I was even on a sign language choir where we signed to music for different organizations as well as senior homes. Have became assigned language communicator after I took a six week immersion program at Sheridan college in Canada. There you were never allowed to speak you lived on campus and you were not allowed to use the phone or use your voice only sign for six solid weeks. I came out there with so much knowledge about the culture as well as increasing my vocabulary. I then started work as a sign language communicator at George Brown College in Toronto Canada. Now that I’m senior, I have to upgrade myself again as it’s been a while since I sign, and if you don’t use it, you lose it. You’re right it’s best to learn from a deaf instructor because you can’t lean on the words you definitely have to learn your signing. I love you channel thank you for sharing, and providing a great opportunity for people who want to learn.🤟🏻🇨🇦

[emariaviridis]

I'm a massage therapist who has been slowly picking up sign as a way to communicate silently to say things like "it's time to turn over" or coordinate with another massage therapist during couples massages. It is so helpful to be able to let the other LMT know "I need 5 more minutes on this side." Or "let's close the massage in 10 minutes" or "slide the biofreeze closer to my table" so we're not bumping into each other and ending at the exact same time.

ASL is such an important and handy (pun intended) language skill to have that my spouse and I are looking to take some classes so we can raise our newborn to be conversant in ASL. Thank you for these tips and all your ASL content.

[essencer.]

I like sign. My aunt teaches it, she's not deaf- but she's taken me to deaf events where we couldn't talk. It was so cool.

[ChildOfTheDarktime]

I live in a city that has a really big Deaf community. We even have folks who perform Drag. I love it! I try to go to many events even though I'm hearing.

[redlady]

Took an ASL class. Our instructor was deaf, and she was so fantastic! We learned so much about deaf culture along with ASL. It was so much fun, and so informative. ❤

[choriandr]

As a hearing person interested in learning sign, I appreciate the voice over.

[transmutedelf]

My high school growing up was a Cleary school of the Deaf and offered for HS language credits taking ASL, i still regret not learning it. We often had interpreters in our class rooms and it was something I took for granted was available outside of my area.
While I am not deaf the language has always fascinated me. As I get older it is something that increasingly seems something I should work on learning as I don't often encounter deaf people in my day to day life, I do want to be as accommodating as possible when I do encounter people who that would be beneficial for.
Other added reason I want to learn is a geeky side of things as science fiction has been adding more sign languages to various shows and cultures. From the Belters in The Expanse to the Tuskan Raiders in the Book of Boba Fett and many seemingly small parts in other shorts(one moment in Hellavabus and a character from Overwatch) it is becoming more visible in other spaces and I love that.

[Adamcito.]

I want to learn LSV (Venezuelan Sign Language, I'm venezuelan btw) and I have never met anyone in my life that knows/uses sign language. I wanna learn it for if I ever find one, and also seems fun 😅

I know that ASL has 99% nothing to do with LSV but seeing this video still helps
Thank You Jon :)

[creativehorsequeen]

I attend a Deaf Sunday school class every week at my church. They're really sweet and it's helped me learn a lot. My learning is pretty slow since I don't have the chance to practice everyday but, I've started to be able to understand them better and better.

[happycook]

My ASL class at Gallaudet in 1990 did NOT have an interpreter and the instructor self identified as "culturally deaf" and was also medically hearing impaired. Your video is excellent!

[tdiman]

i'm not hard of hearing or deaf but your channel has really educated me on CODAs/deafness and now i want to learn at least a little bit of ASL because i think that could go such a long way