Thank you guys so much!!! I can’t believe you guys chose me, it’s so unreal lol. I love you guys so much and your story. I feel like I can relate so much to you guys because my boyfriend is also deaf and we have been dating for almost 5 years now. I am so fascinated and in love with sign language. It’s something I love to learn about because you never know if you come across someone and it’s difficult to communicate with. I want that person to feel comfortable and know there are people who can hear that want to be involved with signing and communicating back. Again thank you so much and stay safe!💕

I don't why but I absolutely adore the way he looks at her. You can like see the emotions pouring out of his eyes.

I have a deaf teacher and he wearing hearing aids. But, sometimes he said that he like to turn the aids off cuz that way, he cant hear any bad words or anything that unpleasant to him. That moment, I was like, I never thought about it like that..

As a mom with a child with severe hearing lost, there are also times when the hearing aid isn't working or the aids can't be worn (swimming, battery died, ear infection or other illnesses). Sign is still needed to be able to communicate with my child.

*signs louder* captions: LOUDERRR me: that looks super loud

The way that he looks at her just makes my heart freak out, it’s so full of love THIS IS A LITERAL DISNEY MOVIE/FAIRY TALE

I really admire Ryan and the way he embrace himself and his lifestyle, he doesn't make his deafness looks like a problem at all🥺 Everyone should learn from him and appreciate theirselfs the way they are🥰

Question: Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you're holding something with both of your hands and someone tries to talk to you, so you just can't do anything?

As someone who is losing my hearing, I'm finding that I like the peace and quiet...!

As a 20 year old having worn hearing aids my entire life, I couldn’t imagine living without them, but you are an amazing example of how in fact one can live a happy life without having the need to hear in order to go about day to day life! I am deaf but am learning new things about my own culture every day! Love these videos, and thank you for making me feel “normal”☺️

saw one video from recommendation and now im watching everything on this channel

I can read the lips of this guy, perfect English he speaks/spoke.

I have two questions just to hear you perspective: 1. Is there any job that Ryan feels like he can't do (that maybe he has wanted to do or been rejected from) because of his deafness? 2. Is there any job that Ryan feels like being deaf has helped (or would help) him?

i have a potential video question: how is sign language different from english? more simple, complex? missing words, repeat signs, stuff like that

Ryan if you are wondering, she has a very very beautiful voice. Her voice is as beautiful as her signing. Her voice is filled with love, positivity, security, peace, life, and is a sweet as pie. I know you can only imagine how she sounds, but it's as beautiful as you imagine. I'm in love with this channel. It really has been helping me cope with becoming deaf. I lost my ability to hear last year. It is dificult caus ei don't realize how loud I really am, and when people talk to my deaf side. It is hard to cope because people say things and do things wrongly. I'm hoping my hearing aid helps me, but I also won't be to upset if it doesn't work. You guys really help me learn sign language, and how to use my hands. Question, I am right handed, but sign with my left side. It's easier, and is smoother for me. If I sign left handed will I be confusing other signers?

Question: When you’re out in public, especially sitting down in a restaurant, do you ever worry that other sign readers may be picking up on your private conversation? You just never know who can read sign and who can’t until you talk to them. I suppose you have to really watch the room for tells! ;) Yah, I just got to thinking about that as a hearing person...how signs can be picked up from far away, and this can be both awesome and problematic, depending on the situation. Two hearing people have the luxury of talking quieter or moving away from others. Even if you saved serious talks for the car or home, I’m sure you don’t want strangers eavesdropping on the small stuff either. I imagine there are times when signing can feel like a really cool secret language and other times when your conversations feel exposed. I love your videos. Thanks for all your wisdom and fun! :)

People always assume that hearing aids and cochlear implants are an “exact” fix for hearing and that isn’t always the case! People ALWAYS think I can just slap on my implant and hear fine, they don’t get that it is a still a struggle & a lot of effort to just hear. I still have to lip read! Growing up with one, I have no access to any ASL or any deaf culture and I wish I did because I think just conversing in ASL would be preferable sometimes Love your videos ! 💙

My cousin is completely deaf and was going to try hearing aids. The first time she actually heard noise and people talking she freaked out then refused to wear them. Love your videos ❤️💜❤️💜

Absolutely agree. I wear hearing aids because I can’t hear high or low frequencies. I can’t hear my daughter, or my husband. And because my hearing loss was ignored for my whole childhood, I never learned to sign, and only learned to get by off of facial/lip reading. In social Setting, though, my hearing aids are useless, because everything is just garbled together and muffled and loud, so I take them out, and go back to smiling and nodding and acting like I know what’s going on. I enjoy my quiet world much more. Although I really do love hearing my daughter’s voice. It can be rather emotional, tbh.

it’s so annoying how people try to make everything black and white like that. im not deaf/hoh, but i do have auditory processing disorder. basically, i can hear just fine, but i’m not always great at figuring out what the actual words are, and i have a tendency to miss parts of conversations because i need to be paying full attention to understand what people are saying. if im distracted, or if there’s background noise or anything, it can be really hard for me to understand people... even though people know this about me, it’s still really hard for them to actually get it... my mum for example always starts to talk to me without making sure she has my attention first. like i’ll be sitting on the couch watching tv and she just starts talking, and then gets upset when i tell her she has to repeat everything she just said. in order to actually talk to me, she would have to get my attention and wait until i pause the show or stop whatever i’m doing and can give her my full attention, otherwise i won’t process anything she says but idk... people just hate when they’re asked to repeat themselves i guess. everyone seems to take it as an insult or something, like i’m purposely ignoring them or trying to be difficult, even though it’s just that i literally can’t always understand what someone is saying... like would it really kill people to be just a bit more accommodating?? (also, never ask someone to turn off subtitles. they have them on for a reason, just leave them be)

My mom says” you don’t read enough !” Umm yea I do I read captions on sign duo videos.! And y’all make me want to learn more on deaf culture !❤️

I've been following your channel for a little while now and I love how confident Ryan seems in front of the camera now. Like I can tell he's signing like he would in front of friends or family. I know in the past Ryan has talked about how he has been self conscious about making mouth sounds and stuff like that and I did feel like he was kinda "holding back" in previous videos in terms off showing his full personality. I just feel like Ryan's more expressive and doesn't hold back and I love it. 💖💖💖

Ellen and Ryan , are you both ok? We've never seen you go this long without another video. Please give us an update here or on IG! :).

The reason why I love this channel is because of Ryan and that he’s deaf because like I love seeing him do sign language like I love sign language. And it’s so entertaining it’s so amazing!

This video hit home with me. I started losing my hearing in my mid 20’s and have moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. I do wear hearing aids and constantly people do not understand that they are only helping me hear what I still can and don’t give me back what I’ve lost. I am a doctorate student currently for doctor of chiropractic and it’s a struggle with communication with fellow students and professors. I constantly get asked if I can hear this or that and sometimes they assume because I use a mic system or have hearing aids they can talk with their back towards me or in low tones and I should be able to hear them which I don’t. Thank you for shedding light not only on why you don’t wear hearing aids yourself, but on hearing aids and their usage and how they work and especially that they are just a TOOL not the SOLUTION. Love this channel.

It's so strange watching old videos and not hearing Ryan's mouth sounds now that he uses them so often. I have come to take the candor and vulnerability you guys show in your videos for granted, and you it's amazing to see how your channel and personalities have grown! I really appreciate learning about deaf culture from you guys, you're so patient and unbelievably kind. Thanks for another great and informative video!

Pls post more I’m eleven and I love and respect the sign language community and I understand why he does not wear hearing aids and he must be very proud

I love how even though he can only really ‘speak’ using body language and signing, Ryan still has a major attitude. 😂

You guys should do a “what am I touching” video! Where you guys buy things, hide them in a box and the other person has to guess what it is only by touching! Love your vids.

Just recently discovered this channel and I love it as it helps me brush up on my ASL prior to going into the medical field as a Certified Medical Assistant. You guys are so amazing! ❤

This is so educating and beneficial since it comes from a deaf person himself that understands way better than we could ever do. Hope everyone takes the time to educate themselves to make it at least a bit easier for deaf people. It’s honestly so impressive how willing you are to talk and explain without losing your temper, and it’s impressive how understanding your girlfriend is💕

Ryan’s signs are always so clear and easy to understand.

2:22 Java really did help him remember! 😂

How can u dislike something this wholesome???

I'm hard-of-hearing; I have hearing-aid in my right ear and a Cochlear Implant in my left ear, and I can hear both low and high frequencies; for example, I can hear humming of a refrigerator and freezer, a vibrating of a person's cellphone in their pockets of their pants, and rumble of a washing machine and dryer; as for high frequencies, things like beeping of KEURIG coffee maker and beeping of a microwave. I remember when I went to the movies to see AquaMan with my dad, there was a man about 2 seats down to my left (us 3 were in the same row). His phone was vibrating; he didn't even hear it or feel it; so I gently tapped his elbow, he looked at me and said, "Yes?" I replied to him politely, "Your phone is vibrating, sir," and he said, "Oh!" and turned his phone off, put it back in his pocket, and said, "Thank you," I told him, "No problem, sir," A lot of people were amazed on how I could hear both low and high frequencies. My hearing tests showed all of that. Even my parents were impressed.

I’m a D/deaf education major and I am so beyond happy I have come across your videos. I’ve watched and rewatched all of them at least 2 times so far. Thank you!

Ryan & Ellen: I have hearing aids when I was 4 years old but they never worked for me because I couldn't hear a single sound. I am profoundly deaf. But I wasn't born deaf. I lost all my cochlea hairs when I was 3 3/4 due to spinal meningitis.

I’ve worn hearing aids my whole life, and countless times, I’ve essentially had to explain the difference between being hard of hearing and completely deaf (yes, I know it’s a range or a spectrum, but there are noticeable differences on either end.) It’s been interesting as I’ve grown up explaining that hearing aids help me because I still can naturally hear a little bit, but for some people they don’t work at all, because hearing aids don’t add hearing abilities, they only amplify what’s already there. Thanks for sharing!! :)

Hello Sign Duo, y'all are adorable. Ryan is hardworking and is a sure proof that disability is not inability. He is successful in life.

I'm hard of hearing and I remember when I was young being so disappointed when they told me I couldn't have hearing aid. I wasn't educated on what hearing aid actually does and believed it was THE solution to the problem, so I thought I was a lost cause. I find it really great that you guys explained the different types of deafness and what hearing aids are. Thank you :)

I started following this channel around 200k, im so glad to see how far its come, you guys are the definition of goals, a true inspiration 🙌🏼

i usually never comment but i just had to say that this channel is so wholesome and i just love you two for doing these videos bc it's really important to talk about things like this and inform others on different cultures or lifestyles without judging the people who are uninformed oder misinformed. I learned so much about deaf culture bc of your channel. thank you 🙏🏻 wishing you two all the best ♥️ stay safe 💕💕

Ryan is soo nice and understanding.. he looks calm and not offended by peoples who ask him about his deafness.. and the drive thru video prove it, he still smiling even they don't treat him like what he deserved I hope i have half of your heart so i can be a better person just like you

Thank you for bringing this up and spreading awareness for deaf culture! 💕 My grandfather is deaf in his left ear, he was born with no hearing at all and he just turned 70, he got hearing aids for the first time and since he has no hearing at all in his left ear they are actually connected through bluetooth and sends the sounds picked up to his hearing aid in the right ear so that he can hear everything around him. My family and I love your videos since we are so connected to deaf culture and my mom is now teaching me ASL! I love your guys channel, stay safe!

I love this explanation! First and foremost, it’s your choice what methods you use to be able to interact in society. Then explaining why hearing aids don’t work for everyone, then pointing out the false assumptions made by unknowing people.

Can i ask Ryan; How is a life without music? - we're you able to hear, before in your life? if not, music probably dont mean anything... I love your videos, such a beautiful couple, wish you all the best!

ahh this is so cool! i might just subscribe. my penpal mentioned about you guys when i asked what got her into ASL! i have a Deaf dad and my mom is hard of hearing so i know sign language!! i just find it cool because i understand everything that your boyfriend is saying! i’d just like to add, this is so true. it is unique to a person. my dad is completely Deaf so there is no reason for hearing aids and wouldn’t help in his life at all. i find my dad truly amazing because he has hearing friends and makes friends with them easily and can get through things. he even works perfectly. he has a separate card that shows he would need assistance (same with my mother) my mom in the other hand since she’s hard of hearing, she uses hearing aids when she goes to work. to be honest it’s not the best, everyone still have to talk loud and clearly, but at work she also has the card that would show she also would need assistance. so yeah just like you guys said, it really is just tools! :D

Hey :) I found your channel 2 days ago and I can't stop watching your videos. Thank you very much to share your opinions and your view about life with us ♥️ I never met a deaf person, so I never thought about it. I am going to be a teacher and to see your experience and with which things deaf people has to struggle, gave me a completely new perspective about a lot of things. ♥️ I really appreciate it. Thank you very much. I am Austrian🇦🇹 and I am in a relationship with a Japanese 🇯🇵. We are struggeled with similar communication problems than you at the beginning. And like you already said in a video: deaf and hearing realtionship seems like a relationship with two different cultures and you have to find a middle way. To watch your videos is so relaxing, interesting and educational. Lovely greets from Austria

Where have you guys been? Are you two ok??? I have been waiting on u all for 2 weeks and I’m kinda sad about it 🙍🏼‍♀️please make another vlog! *sniffles*

11:45 when Ryan talked about how it gets so repetitive when people ask about his Deafness, I wholeheartedly agreed. I used to be in a school club that worked with the Deaf Community, and I often cringed when I see my fellow peers asking such related questions >< that’s why I really appreciate Sign Duo’s channel because you guys answer questions that probably a lot of us have, but maybe either don’t have the courage to ask or don’t want to add onto the burden of repetitive questions, curious though we may be. Really love your channel and glad to see that you’re doing well in the current situation!

I found this so helpful. As a school teacher, I would have loved to have had this video to show my students.

(Im in academy/(high school)) my sister is losing her hearing (also in a wheelchair) and can only hear a little so I've just begun to learn sign language and cant wait to learn more and be able to socialise with those who cant hear or hear well. I love working around and talking to people so I hope i can develop my skills even just to the basics. I signed up to a bsl course today! Ive learnt the alphabet and how to say my name and a few greetings Wish me luck! Ps. I LOVE watching you guys. Found your channel a couple of days ago. I also like that you have to really pay attention and it might help other people develop their signing skills💖 keep up the good work xx

I would love to know if Ryan ever wishes he knew what Ellen’s voice sounds like?

ive literally never seen a deaf person wear a hearing aid I've only seen ppl who have slight hearing loss wear them so I thought they just didn't work on people who were born deaf

I've watched several of your videos and have learned a ton about signing. I appreciate this video for your perspective on using hearing aids. I love learning about the Deaf culture and thank you guys for including that aspect in your videos.

His smile is so bright and made me happy. I wish I can be friend with him in real life. What an awesome man you found.

Does Ryan have any friends who identify as hard of hearing? You should do a video on the difference between deaf and hard of hearing and why having some residual hearing doesn't necessarily make you hard of hearing

I love this channel so much ❤️ I’m currently a grad student studying audiology and I appreciate you guys covering this topic - there are so many misconceptions that hearing aids and cochlear implants are these magic pills that “cure hearing loss” when in fact they vary by the person’s situation. Just wanted to drop a comment to say that some of my classmates and I love watching your videos ❤️❤️

Hi, Ellen and Ryan. I just found your videos this past week, subscribed right away, and have been binge-watching and learning so much from you. Thank you for opening my eyes up to the deaf community and for also just being incredibly kind, loving people. We need all the good in this world we can get. I hope you’re each healthy, safe, and in a good place. This year has been so difficult for many of us. Personally, my emotions are on a complete rollercoaster-that’s one reason why I’ve really appreciated your videos. They’re a positive escape from everything else right now. So, thank you, two, and I really hope we get to see you again if and when you’re ready to come back. Stay safe! :)

I really admire how the both of you just love each other and how strong are you. More blessings to come. God bless

HI I will edit this after I’m done watching the video XD Edit 1: Your who inspired me to learn sign and because of that I met my best friend who is partially deaf, thank you Edit 2: I had no idea about most of this, thank you for giving me a look into your world

Me being a hearing impaired person I do have some people around me who don’t understand about my hearing and this video literally explained it better than I do especially how everyone hearing is different and unique to the person but I really want to thank y’all so much for putting this video up it help so much🥺🙏

I wanna thank you guys for giving me the final push to actively begin trying to learn sign language. I've talked about it for years but watching your video on communicating with a deaf family member during the holidays got me to actually look up the ASL alphabet and I've already learned to sign my name.

I love you guys so much. I'm so sorry that someone keeps spreading rumors that you guys are broken up. Real fans know that you guys will never break up. Your love is too strong for that. I really do hope you all can post soon. I miss you guys and Java. Also is your email the same I sent you an email that I would really appreciate if you read.

Love your videos and the sign duo fam😚. My question that I have is: How does Ryan feel knowing he has never heard your voice and how do u also feel about it? Also you guys have encouraged me to learn ASL and I love it😘

So I just started watching y'all yesterday. I was just scrolling through and found y'all, and I have already watched a lot of your videos! I love them and love y'all! ❤

I am so excited I stumbled upon your you tube video, about a year ago my husband and I took in a little girl who is nearly deaf. No one has ever taught her sign language, and since she could hear just a lil bit in one ear, they treated her like a hearing person - but she has missed out on sooo much, her vocabulary is so small. And when we got her hearing aids ppl thought that she was cured. I love your video and how you so kindly explain it to everyone. so recenty I have taken it upon myself to learn and teach her sign language. She is sooo happy to learn, she feels like she can communicate better now. I have been recieving so many questions from so many ppl around us. It has been a very long and difficult road for us (but I love her and it's worth it). Anyways, it helps to know there are others out there as well. Thank you for your videos. Blessings.

You guys inspire me to learn ASL because I have a deaf coworker who chose to use hearing aids, but she still can't hear everything unless we shout. She's a trooper on our IT helpdesk and has issues with the linguistic differences between english and ASL and I always try to help her understand and convey what she means to people in a very technical field. Both of you are great, thank you for this content

Haven’t seen you guys in awhile. Hope you both are staying safe and healthy. Miss you! 💕

wow Thankyou so much you to you have made me want to start learning sign language Thankyou so much ❤️

Hey there! Just recently, KZfaq suggested one of your videos to me, and I am happy to have found your channel. My companies clients are mostly blind or visually impaired, so fo work I came in contact with braille, for example. But so far, I haven't known much about the deaf community, sign language or even noticed deaf people in public. It's nice to learn something new through your videos. Much love from Germany, Denise

My dad is deaf and wore hearing aids even though they didn't help at all because he felt it signalled to people around him that he needed them to communicate differently. So interesting to hear Ryan's perspective! Thanks for sharing.

Hey sign duo! It's been 3 weeks since you last posted a video. Hope you guys are fine. I don't have any other social platform so i can't see your daily life in instagram.. But i hope you guys are great over there! You guys are an inspiration for me and my 5 years boyfriend. Always waiting for a new video❤ stay safe and stay healthy

I always love the closed captions with emojis to translate 😂😂. When you’re editing a video, who does the closed captions or do y’all trade off? I know Ellen does a ton of the editing but I didn’t know if Ryan puts in his own closed captions or checks them to make sure the signs are being translated how he intended?

my favorite thing about learning ASL is not having to use captions to know what my favorite deaf content creators are talking about as much anymore. if they have them on the video and I can't turn them off (like embedded into the actual video) I try to ignore them. If they have them as an option I keep them off and if I get lost I turn them on briefly and turn them right back off. I highly recommend anyone who's thinking about learning to just DO IT! the best way to learn is through immersion, go to your local deaf owned businesses or watch deaf content creators on youtube without the captions. you're going to be confused but sometimes all you can do is just laugh at how different what you thought they said was versus what they're actually saying. it's an amazing learning process that I'm so glad I started last year. I remember when ellen & Ryan had like 80k subs or something, I'm so glad yalls channel is continuing to grow! edit: also check out lifeprint and handspeak if you get confused!

Please post more videos~ I just come here every two or three days to check out if you update.

Can people who sign have “accents” that are from how they were raised. Like can you tell oh this person is from California cause they sign like this or this person is from Boston... etc? Or is it too individual to tell? Just a curiosity 💕learning so much from the two of you and loving java as well

I love how you educate the community about deaf people and about ASL (American sign language). Your videos are awesome! :)

I just found your channel through the drive thru video on facebook and I am now a new subscriber! I am sure I will be awake late tonight watching your videos!!! I am also grateful for the free 2 months of skillshare as I have always had an interest in learning ASL. I know the tiniest little bit because I work in childcare and have always taught my pre-verbal kiddos a few signs to help communicate. I also really appreciate how respectful you were in that drive through video. So many people would have posted the employees faces and been rude back to the employees. That says a whole lot about your character!

Java and I were having a staring contest at 1:51 lol

i love y’all so much🥺and i’m happy y’all did this video❤️i really do love y’all

Hi! I am currently obsessed with your channel lol. Are you guys going to make more?

Hi y’all. Your my inspiration!! Last year I met a girl who was deaf at my school and she was new and we didn’t have an interpreter. So I took it upon myself to learn so we could communicate. We became bestfriends that whole year then I moved sadly. And your videos have really helped me keep learning sign even though I have nowhere to put my new knowledge of the language. I hope you guys see this. I want to become a interpreter one day. Wish me luck!! (I’m a sophomore in highschool)

Such a sweet couple. I love that you are taking your time explaining these questions. And I love your Dog! He's so fun to watch in the background at times.👍😊

I’m a person that do not wear hearing aids too. I do not like them. I’m perfectly fine without them like Ryan says. We were forced to wear them when we were little. I felt that the hearing educators and parents wanted control and wanted us to fit the hearing world. I’ve decided to decolonize from that control. It’s my life. Not theirs. 👍🏻

I came across your video by coincidence and I'm so happy I did, I was never curious about deaf culture, just because I don't have a deaf person in my circle, I guess that's my excuse Your duo is fascinating and sooo adorable I already learned so much, thank you for what you're doing, keep strong guys because your voices are so powerful and you are making things change in a better way Much love ❤️ from Algeria 🇩🇿

I just subscribed and I'm already learning a lot, thank you. Also, you guys have such a beautiful chemistry, I love how proud Ryan looked at Ellen when she was explaining a bit more about cochlea hairs💗💗. I'm wishing you the best in everything you do.

I had been wondering about Ryan and having hearing aids but i didn't want to ask but now i know! I love your channel i send you guys the best of luck from quarantine 😁❤💖

I found your channel a little while ago.. This 2020-2021 school year (homeschooled and in 10th grade) I am doing sign language as my 2 years of "foreign language". Although it is technically not a foreign language my mom is allowing me to do it. I'm so thankful you guys sign, speak, and have captions! It means to much because then I can read/hear then watch the signs to try to learn some basic signs! Hopefully sometime I will be able to just read the signs. Ive always been intrigued by how deaf/mute people communicate and am so excited to learn more about the deaf community!

I saw your drive thru video on Facebook and can I just say thank you for making me want to learn British sign language even more and something I will be teaching my children as I learn.

I heard there’s also some controversy around giving deaf children cochlear implants because it would mean that they miss out on deaf culture

Who came to the comments since there not posting

The line about it getting repetitive to have your deafness be the subject of conversation really spoke to me and helped me understand! I worked and lived in a different country for two years, and having almost every conversation with a new person start the same way, going over why I'm in this country, where I'm from, what I think about the cultural differences, got really boring and repetitive over time. I can't imagine dealing with that my whole life.

Ryan, Ellen- This channel has been so fun and informative. I do not know any deaf or hard of hearing people, but I have always been interested in learning a little of ASL. I wish you both the best, and I am really glad that you have found success and love, and a way to use your lives to benefit others! Keep it up!

KZfaq just recommended your channel and omg you guys are so cute together! I have to watch all the videos now hahaha much love ❤

People often give me hard time because I'm hard-of-hearing; they even treated me like I'm stupid; they never tried to take the time to understand me or even have patience with me🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😔😔😔😔😔😔😭😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔💔💔

Miss your uploads!!! Please upload more vlogs!!! Hope you are both doing well!!! :)

I absolutely love your videos. I came across this channel not long ago and I've already learnt so much. Thank you. I am so NAIVE about the deaf community and I appreciate that You and Your girlfriend, teach idiot's like me, how to be respectful. I even learnt a little Australian Sign Language today. You guys are a fantastic couple and so beautiful to watch. Please stay safe during this Pandemic.

This the main question I wanted to ask , well I wanted to ask did he recommend but thanks for explaining it .

When you think, Ryan, do you hear a voice in your head as you think? I love you guys by the way! I hope you're doing okay and are well :)