About
About this site
Learning Sign Language is an independent, free reference for hearing adults and families who are starting American Sign Language. This page explains what the site is, what it is not, how the guides are written, and the terms it uses.
What this site is
The site is a set of nine written guides about starting ASL, a page about where to learn, a page of common questions, and a page about where to find help. Everything is free to read. There are no accounts, forms, advertising or affiliate links, and nothing is for sale.
It is written for hearing people near the start: adults curious about the language, friends, partners and coworkers of Deaf people, and hearing parents of deaf children.
What this site is not
This site is not a school, a teacher or a course. It does not offer lessons, check anyone's signing, answer individual questions or provide interpreting. It has no named author and does not speak for the Deaf community.
Written guides also have a basic limit. They cannot show movement, so every description of a handshape, movement or expression is something to check with a Deaf teacher.
Above all, the site is no substitute for learning from Deaf people. ASL belongs to the Deaf community, and the guides repeatedly send readers toward Deaf teachers, Deaf-led classes and community events.
How the guides are written
Each guide covers one subject in plain language. The guides describe features of ASL that beginner courses widely teach, such as handshapes, number forms, facial grammar and the use of space, along with advice that Deaf teachers commonly give hearing learners.
The guides were written and published in September 2026.
ASL varies by region, generation and community, and some signs have more than one accepted form. When a guide and a Deaf signer differ, follow the Deaf signer.
Terms used on this site
Deaf and deaf
Lowercase deaf refers to hearing status. Capitalized Deaf refers to people who use a sign language and share Deaf culture and community. This site writes Deaf teachers, Deaf adults and the Deaf community, because those phrases refer to people in that community. It writes deaf child where it refers only to a child's hearing status. Conventions vary, and some people and groups prefer others. The best guide is how each person describes themselves.
Hearing and hard of hearing
Hearing describes people who are not deaf. Hard of hearing is a common term for people with some hearing loss, and many people use it for themselves. Many Deaf and hard of hearing people dislike the term hearing-impaired, because it defines them by a loss, so this site does not use it. Older terms such as deaf-mute are offensive.
Sign languages
There are many sign languages around the world, and the guides say ASL when they mean it. Is sign language the same around the world? covers where ASL is used.
Interpreters
Interpreting is a profession that takes years of training. For what to do when a Deaf person needs access, see the answer on interpreting. Hearing children of Deaf parents are often pushed into interpreting at clinics, schools and offices because those places did not arrange an interpreter. That burden belongs to the institutions, and no child should have to carry it.