The accessibility criteria in the following table apply to all types of virtual gatherings in Microsoft Teams (meeting, webinar, townhall) or Zooms (meeting, webinar, event) unless otherwise specified. Definitions of the term “meeting”, “webinar”, “townhall” and “event” and further resources are provided under Virtual Gathering Definitions.
This comparison was created by Christine Zaza and Samantha Fowler, Disability Inclusion Team, AccessAbility Services on April 26, 2024.
Download Comparison of Accessibility Features of Microsoft Teams and Zoom (Word Document)
Accessibility Criteria Comparison
| Accessibility Criteria | Microsoft Teams | Zoom |
|---|---|---|
| Allows live events to be recorded and shared | Yes | Yes |
| Live closed captions (through AI): users can turn on/off live closed captions | Yes | Yes |
| Option to assign live, synchronous closed-captioner | No | Yes |
| Closed captioning window: can be enabled. In Zoom, the ASL window is a pop-out window (not embedded within the main Zoom screen). This allows you to move the ASL window to a position that works best for you (e.g., not blocking text on slide). | No | Yes |
| Transcription can be downloaded | Yes | Yes |
| Comments typed in the chat can be downloaded | No | Yes |
| Allows participants to attend via a dial-in phone | Yes | Yes |
| Enabled participants who are experiencing difficulties during the event to contact organizer through direct message | Yes | Yes |
| Users can magnify the screen content | Yes | No |
| Users can change the background | Yes | Yes |
| Users can use high contrast mode | Yes | No |
| Includes keyboard shortcuts | Yes | Yes |
| Compatible with screen readers | Yes | Yes |
| Dark mode option | Yes | Yes |
| Focus mode (i.e., host and co-hosts can view all participants' videos without other participants seeing each other) | Yes | Yes |
| Spotlight feature (i.e., puts a user as the primary active speaker for all participants in the meeting and recording) | Yes | Yes |
| Pin feature (i.e., individual users can pin a specific video or screenshare for themselves only) | Yes | Yes |
| Green room: For Microsoft Teams webinars and townhalls and Zoom webinars or events (i.e., not meetings): Hosts can test the virtual event space prior to a webinar or event (i.e., green room) | Yes | Yes |
Virtual Gathering Definitions
Meeting (MS Teams and Zoom): a communications platform that allows users to collaboratively connect with video, audio, phone, and chat
Webinar (MS Teams and Zoom): designed so that the host and any designated panellists can share their video, audio and screen. The host can unmute specific attendees.
Townhall (MS Teams): an extension of Teams meetings, enabling users to broadcast video and meeting content to a large online audience. Townhall are meant for one-to-many communications where the host of the event is leading the interactions and audience participation is primarily to view the content shared by host.
Event (Zoom): a virtual experience platform that allows hosts to create virtual and hybrid conference platforms with links to multiple concurrent sessions (meeting or webinar) and general conference chat outside of specific meetings
Resources
University of Waterloo Educational Technologies Hum - Zoom
University of Waterloo offers Microsoft Teams meetings, webinars, and townhalls. All employees have access to meetings and webinars. Contact IST For Townhalls.
Microsoft Teams Accessibility for Live Events
Microsoft Teams Overview of Meetings, Webinars, and Townhalls