Sharon Kay Wood was born in Idaho on February 25, 1945.

She became deaf at 18 months of age from spinal meningitis. She attended three residential schools for the deaf and graduated from the Arizona School for the Deaf in 1963. In 1968, she graduated from Gallaudet College with a B.S. in Library Science, minoring in Drama. During her years at Gallaudet, she was awarded the Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Actress awards.

In 1983, she graduated from New York University with a M.A. in Deafness Education. Wood taught at various schools for the deaf, including the Texas School for the Deaf, South Carolina School for the Deaf, New York School for the Deaf at Rome, and Kendall Demonstration Elementary School. In addition to teaching at various deaf schools, she also taught sign language in New York City and was an adjunct professor at NYU. Wood has also worked as a professional actress with the National Theatre of the Deaf. She performed in one-woman shows as a lecturer/entertainer on issues about deaf women. She published a book with Marjoriebelle S. Holcomb entitled “Deaf Women: A Parade Through the Decades” in 1989. She passed away on May 12, 2003, from complications of heart and lung failure.