Students who are deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) need additional support to learn curricular content and achieve academic outcomes. Students who attend rural schools may face greater challenges since they may have more limited access to services provided specially trained deaf educators. Yet, they need specialized instruction in learning how to use sign language for communication or for learning core academic concepts, especially in content areas such as mathematics and science. Virtual reality has emerged as a new mechanism for providing these students with specialized instruction. This article reviews current and emerging developments in signing avatars and virtual environments for teaching critical skills to D/HH students.