Resources
Resources for families.
Verified organizations in West Tennessee and across the country, free ways to learn ASL at home, and the words you will hear along the way. Every link was checked in September 2026.
Two more guides: Your ASL journey, a map of the first years and how ASL fits with hearing aids and cochlear implants, and Resources by state, help in the states next door and lookups for any state.
Jump to: Start here · In West Tennessee · Across the country · Glossary
Know a resource we missed? Send it our way. We review resources before we list them.
Start here
Six things to know this week.
If you just found out, this is the short version. You do not have to do all of it today.
You are not behind.
Every child can learn language, and every family can learn with them. The right day to begin is the one you have. You do not need to know ASL, or anything else, to start.
Ask for the follow-up hearing test.
If your baby did not pass the newborn hearing screening, call your baby’s doctor or a pediatric audiologist now. Tennessee’s goal is a screening by 1 month, a diagnosis by 3 months, and early intervention by 6 months. Tennessee newborn screening program · Le Bonheur audiology
Call TEIS if your child is under 3.
The Tennessee Early Intervention System is free, comes to your home or community, and anyone can make the referral. Call (800) 852-7157 or refer online. Tennessee Early Intervention System
Age 3 or older: ask the school.
Public school special education services start at age 3 in Tennessee. Your district’s exceptional education office is the door, and TNSTEP will help you understand an IEP at no cost. TNSTEP · Memphis-Shelby County Schools · Bartlett City Schools
Meet Deaf adults and other families.
Nothing replaces a parent who has been here and a Deaf adult who grew up here. Deaf mentor programs, family ASL classes, and parent groups exist in Tennessee, several of them free. Little ACEs · Deaf Mentor and Parent Advisor Program · Tennessee Hands & Voices · PEARS
Start language now, in whatever mix your family chooses.
Hearing aids, cochlear implants, spoken language, ASL, or a combination: the choice is yours, and it can change. What matters is that language reaches your child every day, starting now. Free ways to learn ASL at home · Our family ASL classes
In West Tennessee
Who to call, close to home.
Every organization here was checked in September 2026. Tell us if something has changed. Links marked ↗ leave our site.
Hearing tests and early intervention
Tennessee Early Intervention System (TEIS)
Free services for children from birth to age 3, at home or in the community. Anyone can refer: (800) 852-7157. TEIS
Tennessee Newborn Hearing Screening
What the newborn hearing test means and what to do if your baby did not pass. If you did not get a follow-up letter, call 615-532-8462. For parents
Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital audiology
Hearing evaluation for infants, children, and teens, including newborn follow-up testing and hearing aid evaluation. A referral from your child’s doctor is required. (901) 287-5241. Audiology at Le Bonheur
Memphis Speech and Hearing Center
The University of Memphis clinic: hearing tests for all ages, hearing aids, and speech-language evaluation and therapy. (901) 678-2009. Memphis Speech and Hearing Center
School and learning
West Tennessee School for the Deaf (Jackson)
A public day school for Deaf and hard-of-hearing children, preschool through 6th grade, using both sign language and English, with family events through the year. (731) 423-5705. WTSD
Tennessee Schools for the Deaf
The statewide public schools for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, with outreach for families and local schools. (865) 579-2500. tsdeaf.org
TSD Deaf Mentor and Parent Advisor Program
For families with a Deaf or hard-of-hearing child from birth to five: a Deaf mentor shares ASL and Deaf community connections, and a parent advisor helps build a language-rich home. Spots are limited. Deaf Mentor Program
TSD Family Centered Outreach
Guidance for families of children with an identified hearing level, ages 0 to 22, on early language, community connections, and big transitions. Family Centered Outreach
Memphis Oral School for the Deaf
A Germantown school and clinic for children learning to listen and talk with hearing aids and cochlear implants, with early-childhood programs and resources for newly diagnosed families. (901) 758-2228. mosdkids.org
TNSTEP
Tennessee’s parent training center: free one-on-one help with IEPs and IFSPs, meeting preparation, and know-your-rights trainings, with a Memphis office. (423) 639-0125. tnstep.info
Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Exceptional Education
The district’s special education department. Its Colonial Hearing, Speech and Vision Center handles hearing screening and interpreting for Deaf students. (901) 416-5300. MSCS Exceptional Education
Bartlett City Schools, Exceptional Children
Bartlett’s special education department and the place to ask about Child Find. (901) 202-0855. Bartlett City Schools
University of Memphis, ASL and Deaf Studies
A bachelor’s degree in ASL and Deaf Studies. It is a degree program rather than a community class, and one reason Memphis keeps gaining fluent signers and advocates. ASL and Deaf Studies
Deaf community and ASL in Memphis
DeafConnect of the Mid-South
ASL classes for adults and children, a summer ASL camp for kids, interpreting, advocacy, and community gatherings. (901) 278-9307. deafconnect.org
BridgesWEST
The Memphis office of Bridges for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: advocacy, help finding services, interpreting, ASL classes, and youth programs from birth on. Voice (901) 701-6800, videophone (901) 612-3416. BridgesWEST
Little ACEs (Bridges)
Free and statewide: weekly visits with a Deaf mentor, a weekly parent ASL class on Zoom, and monthly family socials, so Deaf children have ASL from birth. Little ACEs
Signing ACEs (Bridges)
Free after-school programs, camps, clubs, and family ASL classes for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students in grades K to 12, with a Memphis program through BridgesWEST. Signing ACEs
Tennessee Relay, dial 711
Free, confidential phone relay so Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and DeafBlind people can make and receive calls from any phone. Tennessee Relay
Support and advocacy
Tennessee Hands & Voices
A parent-led group for families of children who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind, with no bias about communication choices. Parent-to-parent support, advocacy help, and family events. tnhandsandvoices.org
Family Voices of Tennessee, PEARS
Individual support for families raising a child who is Deaf, hard of hearing, DeafBlind, or Deaf-Plus, ages 0 to 21, supporting all communication methods. Families are matched with parent guides and can connect with Deaf guides. (615) 383-9442. PEARS
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder
A free statewide helpline and directory that connects families to local services. 1-800-640-4636. tnpathfinder.org
Tennessee Department of Human Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
State services for Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard-of-hearing people, including regional community centers such as BridgesWEST in Memphis. 1-833-772-8347. Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services
Tennessee Council for the Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing
The state council that advocates for accessible services and oversees the regional community centers, including Memphis and Jackson. TCDDBHH
Across the country
National help that reaches Tennessee.
Family-centered organizations that support every communication choice, plus free ways to start learning ASL tonight. Outside Tennessee, start with Resources by state.
Parent-to-parent support
Hands & Voices
A parent-led national organization supporting families of Deaf and hard-of-hearing children without a bias around communication modes. Tennessee has a chapter. handsandvoices.org
Guide By Your Side
Trained parent guides and Deaf and hard-of-hearing guides give one-on-one support to families who just found out, through Hands & Voices chapters. Ask the Tennessee chapter whether it is offered here. Guide By Your Side
American Society for Deaf Children
A national family organization since 1967: parent support, IEP guides, family events with interpreters, and free ASL stories for kids. 1-800-942-2732. deafchildren.org
AG Bell
A national organization focused on listening and spoken language, with parent-to-parent connections, a specialist directory, and family resources. agbell.org
Plain-language information
Hearing Loss in Children (CDC)
Federal pages for parents on screening, types of hearing loss, early intervention, and communication choices. cdc.gov
Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers (NAD)
The National Association of the Deaf explains early identification and early intervention, and the benefits of giving babies access to both ASL and spoken language. nad.org
Setting Language in Motion
Free video modules from Gallaudet’s Clerc Center and Boston Children’s Hospital: hearing tests, hearing aids, sign language, cochlear implants, and communication at home, in ASL, English, and Spanish. Setting Language in Motion
Family support hub (NCHAM)
The National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management on parent-to-parent support, connecting with Deaf adults, and its Just in Time family guide. infanthearing.org
Learn ASL at home, free
Sign It ASL, free for parents of babies up to 36 months
An online ASL course with Deaf and hearing actors, free for U.S. parents of a Deaf or hard-of-hearing child 36 months or younger. Apply through NCHAM · MyDeafChild.org
ASL By Topic (Gallaudet University)
Free vocabulary videos by topic: baby items, animals, colors, emotions, and more. ASL Connect topics
Lifeprint, ASL University
Dr. Bill Vicars’s free self-study course: 60 lessons, a video dictionary, fingerspelling practice, and Deaf culture notes. lifeprint.com
ASL Stories Directory (ASDC)
Hundreds of free videos of children’s books told in ASL, searchable by age. ASL Stories Directory
HandSpeak
A free online ASL dictionary with tutorials, fingerspelling practice, and a kids’ wordbook. handspeak.com
Paid options exist too. Sign Language Hub sells live online ASL classes for kids, teens, adults, and families, with a free 20-minute introduction. signlanguagehub.com And there are our own classes in Bartlett.
Free media and reading
Described and Captioned Media Program
Thousands of free educational videos with captions, description, and ASL. Families with a child with a disability can sign up for a free membership. dcmp.org
Clerc Center at Gallaudet University
Free family resources for children from birth to 21, including the Bilingual Stories Bookshelf app and early intervention materials. clerccenter.gallaudet.edu
SKI-HI Deaf Mentor Program
The national model behind Deaf mentor programs, in which trained Deaf mentors visit families at home to share ASL, visual communication, and Deaf culture. Tennessee’s program is listed above. SKI-HI Institute, Utah State University
Words you will hear
A short glossary.
The words that show up in letters, appointments, and meetings, in plain English.
Hearing and testing
Newborn hearing screening
The quick hearing test every baby gets at birth. A “refer” result means more testing is needed, not that anything has been decided.
Audiologist
The professional who tests hearing and fits hearing technology. A pediatric audiologist works with babies and children.
ABR and OAE
Two common hearing tests used with babies. Your audiologist can explain which one your child had and why.
1-3-6
Tennessee’s goal for every baby: screened by 1 month, diagnosed by 3 months, in early intervention by 6 months.
Services and school
Early intervention (TEIS)
Free services for children from birth to age 3, delivered where the family already is.
IFSP
Individualized Family Service Plan: the written plan for early intervention, made with the family, for children under 3.
IEP
Individualized Education Program: the written plan for special education services in public school, from age 3 to 21.
504 plan
A plan for accommodations at school, such as seating, captioning, or an interpreter, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Child Find
The school district’s duty to find and evaluate children who may need special education. You can start it with a call.
Language and community
ASL
American Sign Language: a complete language with its own grammar, used by Deaf communities in the United States and much of Canada.
Deaf, deaf, and hard of hearing
Many Deaf people use a capital D for cultural and language identity. Hard of hearing usually describes some usable hearing. People choose their own words; ask what someone prefers.
Deaf mentor
A Deaf adult who visits a family regularly to share ASL, visual ways of communicating, and Deaf community life.
Bilingual (ASL and English)
Growing up with both languages. Many families combine ASL with spoken or written English.
Interpreter
A trained professional who interprets between ASL and English. Ask for one at school and at medical appointments.
Getting around
Videophone (VP)
A video call device or app Deaf people use to call each other in ASL, and to call hearing people through an interpreter.
Relay, 711
Dial 711 from any phone in Tennessee for a free relay service that connects calls between Deaf, hard-of-hearing, DeafBlind, and hearing people.
Captions (CC)
Text of what is being said on screen. Ask for them at events, and turn them on at home so your child sees language everywhere.
Hearing aids and cochlear implants
Technology that gives access to sound for some children. Whether and how to use it is a family decision made with medical providers.
Questions welcome
Wherever you are starting, your questions are welcome.
Send us a note. You do not need to know the right words to ask. If you know a resource we should add, tell us and we will review it.