Microsoft Teams Accessibility and Usability Information

This document summarizes the accessibility and usability barriers of the Microsoft Teams app identified during testing, as well as how to get help with meeting.

The Microsoft Teams app is one of the campus-supported chat and web conferencing tools included in Microsoft Office Suite. This document summarizes the accessibility and usability barriers of the Microsoft Teams identified during testing, as well as how to get help.

Get help

UW–Madison Accessibility Assistance:
- If you are using Microsoft Teams for general web conferencing purposes, contact the DoIT Help Desk for general assistance.
UW System Accessibility Assistance:
- Users should contact their campus Help Desk for general assistance or to report an accessibility or usability barrier.

Additional Resources

To turn on closed captions in Microsoft Teams see Use Live Captions in a Teams Meeting.
For more accessibility features, see Accessibility Overview of Microsoft Teams
For Microsoft teams guides, see Office 365 - Getting Started with Teams.

Student accessibility & usability barriers

The following information is provided to help people with disabilities know what potential barriers may exist within Microsoft Teams.

People who are blind or have low vision may have difficulty

The following accessibility barriers may impact the ability of people who are blind or have low vision to successfully chat or use the web conferencing tools in the Microsoft Teams app.

Missing alternative text on some images and functions may make it difficult for people who are blind and navigating with a screen reader to use this app.
Missing form labels on some inputs may make it difficult for people who are blind and navigating with a screen reader to use this app.
Small text on some functionality may make it difficult for some people to clearly read.

People with low vision or colorblindness may have difficulty using Microsoft Teams

Some functionality in the Microsoft Teams app do not pass color contrast accessibility standards and may be difficult for some people with low vision or colorblindness to read.

Avoid using virtual backgrounds

Avoid using virtual backgrounds during a web conferencing event as the effects are visually less accessible to users. Virtual backgrounds can also cause increased CPU workload for the user running the background, which can disrupt their participation in the meeting.