Interactions between deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students and instructors in online distance education (ODE) increased exponentially during the COVID pandemic. To understand this phenomena, we conducted a comprehensive literature review about evolving ODE formats customized for deaf student's needs. This literature shows increasing multimodal, multilingual, and interactive features. Next, we examined empirical data from a collective case study implemented to better understand ODE phenomena from the perspectives of DHH students and faculty in higher education. We used 4 data collection strategies: (1) in-depth, semi-structured faculty interviews, (2) observations of teaching-learning interactions, (3) focus-groups featuring undergraduate and graduate DHH students, and (4) curriculum document analyses. We coded the dataset using MAXQDA software and uncovered 10 triangulated themes; 4 focus on instructors, 4 center students, and 2 describe student--faculty interactions. Overall, this qualitative analysis is a particularizing account of our participant's lifeworlds; however, we close with general recommendations for improving ODE practices through research.