&NA;The academic and social performance of adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing is affected both dramatically and subtly by the communication barriers created by their hearing loss. This article examines the key issues of motivation, peer relationships, and identity as they pertain to adolescents with hearing impairments. These issues are discussed within the framework of the social and psychological development of adolescents who can hear and then connected to pertinent research that has been conducted with adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing. Implications of different instructional, communicative, and social environments are presented.