Disney Animator Creates Free ASL App That'll Stay Free Forever

When Disney animator Josh Staub started writing a show about a family with deaf characters, he knew he needed to do more than just learn a few signs. He needed to understand an entire community.

Staub, whose credits include Frozen, Tangled, and Wreck-It Ralph, started taking ASL lessons from a Deaf teacher. The language clicked immediately, but what truly changed him were the friendships he formed within the Deaf community.

"I began learning about Deaf culture and fell in love with the Deaf community, forging deep friendships," Staub wrote. Those friends became collaborators on his animated series Small Talk, helping shape every aspect of the project.

But then Staub noticed something. The ASL learning apps he used to supplement his lessons were boring and flat, featuring lifeless photos or emotionless video loops.

That's when he realized his animated character Oscar could do something special. Oscar became the star of a free ASL learning app where he acts not as a teacher, but as your new Deaf friend.

Because Oscar is fully animated, users can rotate him to see signs from different angles and adjust playback speed as they learn. Most importantly, Oscar displays the big, expressive facial expressions that are crucial to ASL communication but often missing from stern instructional videos.

"Deaf folks in general are extremely outgoing and animated when they communicate, so why not express that in the character?" Staub explained.

The app launched with one ironclad promise: it's completely free and always will be. "There should never be an obstacle to learning ASL," Staub said.

The Ripple Effect

The need is real. America has 48 million Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, yet about 70% of parents with deaf children don't learn ASL. Many are discouraged from learning or told it will interfere with speech development, which research shows isn't true.

A world-class team of Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing animators, consultants, engineers, and producers backed the app's development. The goal isn't to replace Deaf teachers (Staub insists learning from a Deaf teacher is still the best way) but to give people another tool to break down communication barriers.

Staub's message to users is simple: "For some of you, Oscar is your first Deaf friend. Don't make him your last."

The app is available now on the Apple App Store and Microsoft Store, opening doors between hearing and Deaf communities one animated sign at a time.