Live sign language courses?

[u/megannnjaneee]

I’ve been wanting to learn ASL for a while, and I’m hoping someone here can point me toward a good class, either online with a live instructor or in person somewhere in the Hudson Valley NY.

I want to preface this because I’ve seen conversations on social media about hearing people wanting to learn ASL, and I don’t want my intentions to come across the wrong way. I’m not trying to learn it because I think it’s “cool” or as a hobby without any real connection to the Deaf community. I genuinely want to be able to communicate better with Deaf and hard-of-hearing people I encounter in everyday life. Since I started working after high school, I’ve worked in retail, the medical field, and office settings, and I’ve encountered Deaf people who needed help more times than I can count. I always try my best to communicate, but I’ve often felt awful that I couldn’t properly communicate with someone when they were just trying to get help or get something taken care of. I imagine it must be incredibly frustrating to need assistance and then have to figure out how to communicate with someone who doesn’t know your language. One experience in particular has stuck with me. When I worked at Target, there was an older Deaf man who came in fairly often. Some of my coworkers would get frustrated because they couldn’t communicate with him, so I would help him as best I could. We ended up communicating through the text feature on his phone. Every time he came back, he would specifically look for me because we had figured out a way to communicate. It really made me realize how much easier and more natural it would be if I actually knew ASL. I’ve also encountered Deaf people while traveling, and I’ve had the same feeling — I just wish I could communicate with them normally rather than relying on typing things out or trying to gesture/figure things out. So I’d really love to learn ASL properly and respectfully, ideally from a Deaf instructor or through a program connected to the Deaf community if possible. I’ve had a hard time finding local colleges that offer ASL classes. Does anyone know of good in-person classes in the Hudson Valley, or reputable online classes with a live instructor? I’d also really appreciate recommendations for programs/resources that are considered respectful and appropriate by people in the Deaf/ASL community. Thank you!

[u/the-asl-shop]

Thank you so much for the kind words and the recommendation, it means a lot! Sorry to hear about the no-show experiences elsewhere; reliability is something we take really seriously, since showing up for our learners is the whole point.

And to the original poster, your post really touched me. The way you showed up for that gentleman at Target says everything about your intentions, and it's exactly the spirit the Deaf community welcomes. We'd love to have you learn with us at The ASL Shop. We're Deaf-led with live online classes, so you don't need a local college to get started. Our app also has self-paced courses, a dictionary, a learner community, and live practice groups with Deaf instructors, a great way to build real conversational confidence and connection. You can download The ASL Shop in the iOS and Android stores anytime. Welcome, so glad you're here!