It is harder to find deaf swimmers since many deaf children are now mainstreamed into regular schools and some are reluctant to affiliate themselves with deaf organizations, she added.

Keeping in Touch

The AAAD is Miller's way of keeping in touch with the deaf community. When she came to Harvard, Miller said she feared she would be isolated. Although that hasn't been true, she values the connections AAAD gives her. There are no hearing people in the AAAD.

"It's a cultural thing," she said. "They're my kind.' I made a big sacrifice [to come here]."

And despite her success at the World Games, Miller said she will stop competing after college even as she continues her involvement in the AAAD--possibly doing administrative work. She currently does correspondence, and she published last month's newsletter.

Competing Since Nine

Miller, who puts in about 20 hours a week for the Harvard varsity swim team, has been competing since she was nine years old.

"But it was starting not to be fun anymore," she said. "Last year [though], here at Harvard, I had a really, really good time. I need to get rid of my energy. But [after college], it will be time to do new things."

The AAAD invites all deaf people to join, both those who read lips and those who read sign language, she said.

"We are open," Miller emphasized.

The AAAD, the chief national organization promoting athletics for the deaf in the United States, is affiliated with both the United States Olympic Committee and CISS, the international governing body for deaf sports.

Its goal, according to a release, is "to provide deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adults with opportunities to compete with their peers as well as the larger society of athletes."