I'm in a long-distance relationship with a British deaf person. They have hearing aids, but I don't want the expectation to be that they'd always have to wear them for us to communicate. I want to be able to surprise them on our first face-to-face meeting by knowing some sign language, and I aim to become fluent eventually. It would also be a great help to have the ability to communicate with them when I'm non-verbal and overwhelmed.