ABSTRACT
All of the women spoke of being in between the worlds of the Deaf and the hearing in their educational, family, and work experiences. How they learned American Sign Language (ASL) and English in their schools and families and used them to communicate in their workplaces influenced how they saw themselves as deaf women inside, outside, or between these worlds. The work of learning the languages of both worlds and their skills of knowing how to go back and forth between them affected their career experiences and opportunities. Many of the women viewed being bilingual as an advantage, as the sooner they acquired this skill the easier it was to negotiate their way in these two worlds. Being bilingual, however, infIuenced their social networks and educational experiences, which shaped where the women made places for themselves. This, then, affected their paid work environments and opportunities, sometimes limiting their opportunities.
