LibGuides: American Sign Language (ASL): Language Resources

Resources for Language & Culture Learning

the ASL app
Designed "by Deaf people for you," the ASL app "is all about teaching you conversational ASL. Packed with 2,500+ signs and phrases, easy navigation and features, with different signers, The ASL App is designed to make learning easy, accessible, and fun. Start signing today!"
ASL Bloom
"We aim to make sign languages accessible to everyone, particularly those in low income countries where classes aren’t available."
ASL University (ASLU)
"ASLU is an online American Sign Language curriculum resource center. ASLU provides many free self-study materials, lessons, and information as well as formal tuition-based courses." Also called Lifeprint.
Drops (by Kahoot!)
Drops, part of the Kahoot family of learning tools, helps reinforce language learning through interactive online games and activities. Drops offers courses in over 40 languages, including French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, German, Swedish, and American Sign Language.
Gallaudet University ASL Connect
"We offer for-credit, online ASL courses as well as in-person Summer courses. Both introductory and advanced courses are available. Check out all of the engaging and interactive features we offer when you sign up for one of our courses."
HandSpeak
Handspeak is a popular ASL resource for learning vocabulary and grammar.
Sign School
"Using a modular curriculum of video lessons and interactive exercises, SignSchool aims to promote ASL learning in the hearing community to improve everyday communication accessibility between the Deaf and hearing."

Bill Vicars ASL University
"ASL - American Sign Language University (http://lifeprint.com) Resource site for ASL students, teachers, interpreters, and parents of Deaf children."
Chris Gorges Sign Language Made Simple
"We know first hand just how difficult it can be to learn a new language. That is why it is our goal to help you achieve your goal of learning a new language by sharing with you the most effective learning strategies and helpful resources. Over the years we have been humbled that we have been able to help thousands of people learn a new language and it is our mission to continue to make free educational content available to everyone so that anyone can overcome the unique challenges of learning a new language and help them towards achieving fluency."
The Daily Moth Youtube Channel
"The Daily Moth delivers news in video using American Sign Language. The Deaf host, Alex Abenchuchan, covers trending stories and Deaf topics with a twist of humor and Deaf culture."
Signed with Heart
"Signed With Heart, an endeavor to teach American Sign Language through social media. We invite you to join us + follow along to learn!"
Statewide Outreach Center Videos at Texas School for the Deaf
"The Statewide Outreach Center (SOC) at Texas School for the Deaf works collaboratively with a variety of agencies, programs, and schools across Texas to create a network of information, services, and support designed to meet the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students, their families, and the professionals who serve them. "

ASL Stories Directory
"This ASL Stories Directory makes it easy for you to find hundreds of free videos of ASL retellings of your child’s or student’s favorite books. Research shows that reading and signing stories together helps promote essential literacy skills for ALL children: deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing. Use the ASL Stories Directory to quickly find stories by age or by the book’s title. Make the most of signing and reading with your child! Get useful tips here."
Reading Involves Shared Experiences (RISE)
"We aim to promote language acquisition and early literacy skills for deaf children by providing parents, early intervention specialists, professionals in the education field, or anyone interested in deaf education with tools such as eBooks and YouTube videos. By engaging in shared reading, deaf children and adults can strengthen the parent-child bond that impacts many other aspects of a child’s life. These bimodal-bilingual stories are designed to delight both deaf children and the adults they share these stories with, regardless of their signing ability."
Stories by Hand
Stories by Hand offers ASL storytelling videos and programs for kids and ASL learners of all ages.

TV Shows

Switched At Birth (Teen drama, TV14) - Hulu
- "Sixteen years ago, one mistake changed two families forever when two newborns were switched at birth. Bay grew up in a wealthy family while Daphne, who lost her hearing as a child, was raised by a single mom in a working class neighborhood." Main character Daphne is Deaf; ASL is incorporated frequently throughout the series.
Deaf U (Documentary) - Netflix
- "In this reality series, a tight-knit group of Deaf and hard of hearing students share their stories and explore life at Gallaudet University."
Black Summer (Horror, TV-MA) - Netflix
- "In the dark, early days of a zombie apocalypse, complete strangers band together to find the strength they need to survive and get back to loved ones." One of the main characters, Ryan, is deaf.
The Society (Drama, TV-MA) - Netflix
- "When everyone else mysteriously vanishes from their wealthy town, the teen residents of West Ham must forge their own society to survive." Main character Sam is Deaf and communicates through ASL and spoken English.

Movies & Documentaries

Deaf Out Loud (Documentary) - Kanopy
- "Executive produced by Academy Award-winner Marlee Matlin, this new documentary special follows three predominantly deaf families as they raise their children in a hearing world."
CODA (Drama, PG-13) - Apple TV
- "Winner of 3 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor. As a CODA (child of deaf adults), Ruby is the only hearing person in her home. When she discovers a passion for singing, Ruby must choose between family obligations and her dreams." Sign language is used throughout the film as Ruby communicates with her Deaf family.
See What I'm Saying (Documentary, ALL) - Amazon Prime
- "This award-winning documentary follows four extraordinary Deaf entertainers - an actor, comic, drummer and a singer - over the course of one year, giving viewers a rare and powerful glimpse into the lives of Deaf artists."
Audible (Documentary, PG-13) - Netflix
- "Shaken by a friend's suicide, a Deaf high school football player copes with family and relationships while anticipating his final homecoming game." The focus of the documentary, Amaree, is Deaf and primarily communicates in ASL.
Wonderstruck (Kids Drama, PG) - Amazon Prime
- "Ben and Rose are children from two different eras who secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known, while Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his home and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out on quests that unfold with mesmerizing symmetry." Both main characters are Deaf, but only Ben uses sign language. Rose's scenes are shot like a silent movie.
Sound of Metal (Drama, R) - Amazon Prime
- "Metal drummer Ruben begins to lose his hearing. When a doctor tells him his condition will worsen, he thinks his career and life is over. His girlfriend Lou checks the former addict into a rehab for the deaf hoping it will prevent a relapse and help him adapt to his new life. After being welcomed and accepted just as he is, Ruben must choose between his new normal and the life he once knew." Main character Ruben is losing his hearing, ASL is introduced as he adjusts.
A Quiet Place (SciFi Horror, PG-13) - Amazon Prime, Hulu Premium
- "In this terrifyingly suspenseful thriller, a family must navigate their lives in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by sound." One of the main characters, Regan, is deaf; the family largely communicates using sign language.
Through Deaf Eyes (Documentary) - Youtube
- "Through Deaf Eyes explores almost 200 years of Deaf life in America and presents a broad range of perspectives on what it means to be deaf. The film is propelled by the stories of people, both eminent and ordinary, and sheds light on events that have shaped Deaf lives."
- Gallaudet University Press, the production company, notes the following content warning: "Through Deaf Eyes references the 1927 film, The Jazz Singer, because it was the first movie to incorporate synchronized music and speech, and its release heralded the end of the silent film era. For deaf audiences, the film was significant because it represented the end of access to Hollywood movies. Through Deaf Eyes contains a clip from The Jazz Singer that features an actor in blackface. The timestamp in which this clip appears is 32:57–33:06. The use of blackface was racist and offensive in 1927, and it is racist and offensive now. Gallaudet University Press does not condone the use of blackface or any other acts of anti-Black behavior."

ASL Captioning Services:

SignUp Chrome Extension
SignUp is a Chrome extension that "allows the user to overlay videos of American Sign Language interpreting onto Disney+ and Netflix videos"

For more information, see the news article linked below

New Chrome Extension 'SignUp' Offers ASL Captions on Selected Disney+ Films

Disney+ has also started releasing some films with ASL interpreting; see this article about the Ant-Man ASL option for more information

ASL Production Company

ASL Films "is an independent, deaf owned and operated production company for all feature film media. Founded in 2005 by partners Mark Wood and Mindy Moore, ASL Films is committed to creating sophisticated entertainment with an appeal that both inspires and rewards sponsors and audiences alike. At its inception the company made its first mark producing a feature length film, Forget Me Not which was a huge success that earned many raves and encores from all over the country." For more information about ASL Films's productions, please visit their website linked here.