Central to support services for deaf and hard-of-hearing college students is the creation of processes through which deaf students and hearing faculty recognize and respect each other’s cultural values. This article describes how conversations from a focus group of deaf students and conversations from a focus group of hearing faculty reflect cross-cultural relatedness and community within a traditional liberal arts university. Higgins’ (1980) conceptualization of interdependence and Palmer’s (1987) notions of relatedness and community served as the framework by which the conversations were analyzed. Communicating in class, using interpreters and notetakers, and establishing identity in the academic community emerged as themes that shaped both students’ and faculty members’ perceptions of deafness. The individual and group insights constructed a collaborative community within the larger context of the academy