Mixed local and remote participation in teleconferences from a deaf and hard of hearing perspective

In this experience report we describe the accessibility challenges that deaf and hard of hearing committee members faced while collaborating with a larger group of hearing committee members over a period of 2½ years. We explain what some recurring problems are, how audio-only conferences fall short even when relay services and interpreters are available, and how we devised a videoconferencing setup using FuzeMeeting to minimize the accessibility barriers. We also describe some best practices, as well as lessons learned, and pitfalls to avoid in deploying this type of setup.