The case of a 17‐year‐old deaf student serves as a means of identifying specific home and school supports that had facilitated robust language and literacy development across the life span. Data consist of observations of the student while reading and thinking aloud, as direct evidence of proficiency, as well as follow‐up student and parent interviews that elicited an insider perspective regarding factors that had contributed to successful development from early childhood to adolescence. The authors discuss the importance of early and consistent exposure to language via the signed and auditory modalities and early and ongoing exposure to literacy‐based activities and explicit instruction in both home and school settings. The findings support several practices that can help ensure successful language and literacy development for deaf or hard of hearing students.