Teams

Teams is widely used at UC for meetings, chat, classes, and collaboration. This page links to Microsoft’s own accessibility instructions for Teams and highlights key checks to use whenever you schedule, host, or participate in Teams spaces where others rely on the content you share.

Microsoft Step-by-Step Support

Because Teams is updated frequently, the step‑by‑step “how‑to” instructions live in Microsoft’s own documentation. Use those as your main reference, and rely on the UC tips on this page to support common use cases and questions you are likely to encounter.

Teams Accessibility

Tips For Using Teams at UC

These tips reflect how Teams is commonly used at UC and where people most often need to build in accessibility or have questions:

  • When scheduling meetings or classes, turn on or allow live captions and make participants aware they are available.
  • Share materials (like slides or documents) in advance when possible, so participants can review them in their preferred format or with assistive technology.
  • Avoid relying on screen sharing alone for key information; describe what is on screen and summarize important points verbally.
  • Use clear, descriptive names for Teams, channels, and meeting titles so people can quickly identify what they are joining or reading.
  • In chat and channel posts, keep messages structured with short paragraphs, lists, and descriptive links instead of long blocks of text or bare URLs.

Applying this to Your Content

What you need to focus on in Teams depends on how you are using it: meetings, chat/channels, or shared content. Use your existing checks and then deepen your work with the Core Concepts that match your content.

For real‑time sessions like classes, staff meetings, office hours, and webinars, focus on:

  • Captions & Transcripts – enabling live captions, and when appropriate, providing recordings with captions or transcripts after the session.
  • Navigation & Order – making it clear how to join, when to speak, and where to find shared resources (chat, files, meeting notes).
  • Copy Formatting – keeping any on‑screen text (titles, agendas, shared slides) readable and well formatted.
  • Technical – being aware of device, audio, and screen‑sharing settings that can affect how accessible the experience is for participants.

For ongoing conversations in Teams chat or channels (for example, project coordination, class discussions, or departmental communication), focus on:

  • Titles & Headings – using clear channel names and, where appropriate, subject lines or concise “topic sentences” in posts.
  • Copy Formatting – using short paragraphs, bullets, and spacing so messages are easy to scan and respond to.
  • Hyperlinks – making link text meaningful so people know what they will open.
  • Alt Text – adding descriptions to images you upload when they convey important information.
  • Color Contrast – being mindful of color use in text, emojis, or images that convey meaning.

For files you upload or link to in Teams (such as documents, slides, or spreadsheets), focus on:

  • Titles & Headings and Navigation & Order – in the files themselves (for example, Word documents or PowerPoint slides) so content is structured and easy to navigate.
  • Alt Text and Color Contrast – for any images, charts, or visual elements in shared files.
  • Hyperlinks – so links inside the files still make sense when opened from Teams.
  • Technical – ensuring that shared files follow the same accessibility practices you use elsewhere (for example, your Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or PDF guidance).