Deaf students can be taught an empowering bilingual, bicultural approach to literacy skills through a progressive critical literacy pedagogy. Through this more student-centered approach, students can master the cognitive skills necessary to independently interpret and respond to texts in many domains of knowledge. Theoretical frameworks proposed by Jim Cummins, Alma Flor Ada, Paulo Freire, and Ira Shore lay the basis for facilitating development of reading and writing skills in content domains. A progressive critical literacy program employs a number of language-specific skills, as well as content area instruction, and the development of metacognitive skills used in authentic, real-life contexts. The interface of "multiple intelligences" theory can lead us to creative applications of these skills. The rewards and challenges of employing critical literacy methods with Deaf adolescents and adults are discussed through examples of real classroom experience.