A comparison of 2 subgroups of 83 profoundly deaf adolescents with normal intelligence—those mainstreamed and those in schools for the deaf—determined ethnicity and socioeconomic class to be the most prominent determinants of mainstreamed status. Two boys, one from the white middle class and one a lower-class black child, closely matched for multiple behavioral qualities, are described clinically to illustrate the complex exigencies that face parents of handicapped children who must negotiate the educational system. The differences between middle-class and lower-class parents in their ability to cope with these exigencies are also described. The practical implications of the findings are discussed, particularly the need for an advocacy system.