In this dissertation, I examine both formerly K-12 mainstreamed Deaf students' and sign language interpreters' perspectives on how interpreting services impact deaf students' experiences in mainstream classrooms. I conducted this qualitative study in two cities with large and active Deaf communities and interviewed a group of Deaf individuals and interpreters who volunteered to participate. This project draws heavily upon the notion of community cultural wealth (Listman, Rogers, & Hauser, 2011) but it is viewed and analyzed via the lens of positioning theory (Yoon, 2008). Using positioning theory was a particularly useful lens since my analysis focused on interpreters' and Deaf individuals' views of the interpreter's role, approaches to working with one another, and the relationship between their approaches and students' reactions and positioning of themselves in the classroom. The findings of this study show that interpreters' approaches and their interactions with deaf students, hearing students, and teachers are related to deaf students' perceived autonomy, participation in the classroom, and their positioning (or repositioning) of themselves as active and engaged, or as isolated and invisible students. I find that the deaf student-interpreter relationship is considered paramount to deaf students' overall satisfaction and success in navigating the mainstream setting. I also find that this relationship is professional and personal; however, this relationship is complicated and double-edged. The findings of this study show that there are gaps in deaf students' support that are currently not addressed. I also find that instances of critical mass provide opportunities for deaf students to develop initial or additional deaf-centric capital through interactions with their peers, Deaf adults, and or interpreters. The study focuses on K-12 deaf mainstreamed education and breaks important ground in understanding the complex interactional classroom dynamics that influence deaf learners' participation and learning in mainstream classrooms. I conclude by calling for further examination of interactional classroom dynamics through interviews and observations of current deaf student-interpreter pairs in the mainstream. [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.]