Legislative mandate and judicial precedence of the guarantee of a free and appropriate public education for students with disabilities can be challenging to uphold in rural areas. 13 out of 15 counties in Arizona are in rural areas according to the US Department of Agriculture Rural-Urban continuum code, 2003, making the challenge of filling special education positions particularly great. Compounded by specialized training required in the area of Special Education for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) students, vacant position are even more difficult to fill. Although previous research has been conducted on theories of teacher recruitment, special education teacher recruitment and rural teacher recruitment, no such research exists regarding rural, DHH education. This study attempts to determine the motivating factors for teachers to take positions as Itinerant Teachers of DHH students in rural Arizona. This mixed-method study combines quantitative data derived from electronic surveys with qualitative data taken from telephone interviews. Each eligible member of the population (67 teachers) in rural Arizona was canvassed with 40 participants participating in the survey (N=40). Each participant was given an opportunity to volunteer to participate in a follow-up phone interview. Through utilizing a random table of numbers, ten volunteers were selected from those who elected to participate. The interviews were recorded and transcripts of the interviews were produced. In both the survey data as well as the interview data, themes and trends were identified. Utilizing theories of teacher recruitment focusing on job selection reasons of objective factors (i.e. financial motivators), subjective factors (psychological motivators) and critical contact factors (essential interactions with potential supervisors), the data was analyzed to determine which reasons were more pronounced among the teachers of DHH in rural Arizona. It was determined that subjective reasons for job selection were by far the more common among respondents. That is, the psychological reasons for selecting a position were the strongest among teachers who were surveyed. The largest motivating factors for individuals to take positions in rural Arizona were challenge of the teaching position and enjoyment of the rural lifestyle. Elements of critical contact, the importance of relationships developed between supervisor and applicant were mentioned in over half of the interviews. Objective factors such as salary and benefits were of lesser import overall. This study concludes with recommended usage for this information. It is proposed that recruitment efforts be tailored to people who have specific interests, that partnerships with local teacher preparation programs be strengthened, and that each cooperative works to "brand" itself and market its features appealing to individuals' quality of life. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]