The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced on September 8, 2023, that the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline added American Sign Language services for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers. This was done so that individuals across America who use American Signs Language (ASL) as their primary language can readily access the support they need during a mental crisis and ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to mental health support.
To connect directly to a trained 988 Lifeline counselor is ASL, callers who are Hard of Hearing, Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Late-Deafened can click on the “ASL Now” button on 988lifeline.org and follow the prompts. In the coming weeks, direct dialing to 988 from a videophone will be available, meanwhile, ASL callers can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) from their videophone to reach ASL services.