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course guide
Listen to Episode 0: Welcome to Git Going with GitHub - a conversational audio overview of this chapter. Listen before reading to preview the concepts, or after to reinforce what you learned.
Welcome. You are about to begin a two-day journey into open source collaboration using GitHub, VS Code, and GitHub Copilot - all designed for screen reader and keyboard-only navigation. This guide is your starting point and table of contents for everything in this workshop.
Note: Workshop content is being actively refined for the May 2026 cohort. Students should expect updates to materials leading up to and during the course.
This is a two-day workshop built around one idea: you will make real contributions to a real open source project. Not simulated. Not pretend. Real.
The live hackathon agenda is intentionally smaller than the full curriculum. Live sessions prioritize the core contribution path, while the complete chapter set remains available for self-paced preparation, catch-up, remote participation, and post-event continuation.
- Live core: The facilitator chooses the minimum path needed for participants to make and understand a real contribution.
- Async follow-up: Chapters and challenges not covered live can be completed after the session using the Learning Room, solutions, podcasts, and Slack channel.
- Remote participation: Remote cohorts should use the same checkpoints and evidence prompts, with written instructions available before each live block.
You learn GitHub's web interface using only your keyboard and screen reader. The live Day 1 core path gets you through repository navigation, issues, branches, commits, and a first pull request. Review practice, merge conflicts, labels, notifications, and culture exercises remain available as stretch or async follow-up.
You move to Visual Studio Code, learn GitHub Copilot, and activate the Accessibility Agents ecosystem - 55 AI agents across 3 teams and 5 platforms that amplify every skill you built on Day 1. The live Day 2 core path prepares you to make a real contribution, and the async continuation path gives you time to polish and submit it well.
Day 1 - Learn the skill in the browser
Navigate → Issue → Pull Request → Review → Merge
↓ (bridge: press . on any GitHub repo - VS Code opens in your browser)
github.dev - VS Code on the web, no install needed
Same keyboard shortcuts · Same screen reader mode · Edit files · Open PRs
↓ (you've earned the desktop - now it makes sense)
Day 2 - Deepen with VS Code + Accessibility Agents
VS Code basics → Copilot inline → Copilot Chat
@daily-briefing → @issue-tracker → @pr-review → @analytics → prepare upstream
The key principle: Learn the manual skill first, then see how it is automated. The agents only make sense when you already understand what they are doing.
Start with Get Going with GitHub if you want the most guided path. It explains how GitHub Classroom creates your private Learning Room repository, how Challenge 1 appears, how evidence prompts work, and how to choose between browser, github.dev, VS Code, GitHub Desktop, and command-line paths.
Complete everything in Chapter 00: Pre-Workshop Setup before Day 1. This chapter walks you through:
- Creating a GitHub account
- Installing Git
- Setting up VS Code (optional for Day 1, required for Day 2)
- Configuring your screen reader for GitHub
- Verifying everything works
Time needed: About 30 minutes.
Every chapter and appendix has a companion podcast episode - a conversational two-host overview that previews or reviews the key concepts. Listen before reading a chapter to know what to expect, or after to reinforce what you learned.
- Browse the podcast episodes with HTML5 audio players
- Subscribe via RSS in your preferred podcast app
- Episodes are 8-18 minutes each - perfect for commutes, walks, or screen reader breaks
These chapters are designed to be read and practiced in order. Each builds on the one before it.
| # | Chapter | What You Will Learn | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Get Going with GitHub | GitHub Classroom onboarding, Learning Room first steps, support, and tool choice | 15 min |
| 00 | Pre-Workshop Setup | Install and configure everything before Day 1 | 30 min |
| 01 | Choose Your Adventure: A Tool Tour | Explore the 5 tool environments before you start | 30 min |
| 02 | Understanding GitHub's Web Structure | How GitHub is organized - page types, headings, landmarks, screen reader orientation | 1 hr |
| 03 | Navigating Repositories | Explore any repo using your screen reader - tabs, files, commits, branches | 45 min |
| 04 | The Learning Room | Your shared practice environment - challenges, PR workflow, bot feedback, peer review | 30 min |
| 05 | Working with Issues | File, search, filter, comment on, and manage issues | 1 hr |
| 06 | Working with Pull Requests | Create, review, comment on, and merge pull requests | 1 hr |
| 07 | Merge Conflicts | Understand why conflicts happen and how to resolve them | 1 hr |
| 08 | Open Source Culture and Contributing | Communication, tone, reviews, inclusive language, your first contribution | 30 min |
| 09 | Labels, Milestones and Projects | Organize and cross-reference work | 45 min |
| 10 | Notifications and Day 1 Close | Manage your inbox, @mentions, and subscriptions; recap Day 1 | 30 min |
Day 1 self-paced total: ~8 hours. The live Day 1 agenda covers the core path in a shorter Pacific-time event day and treats later challenges as stretch or async follow-up.
Day 2 moves you from the browser to the desktop. Every skill maps directly to what you learned on Day 1.
| # | Chapter | What You Will Learn | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | VS Code: Interface and Setup | Launch VS Code, sign in, screen reader mode, Activity Bar, Settings, shortcuts | 45 min |
| 12 | VS Code: Accessibility Deep Dive | Keyboard navigation, Problems panel, Terminal, Copilot Chat, Accessible Help/View/Diff, Signals, Speech | 45 min |
| 13 | How Git Works: The Mental Model | Commits, branches, local vs remote, push/pull/fetch, why conflicts happen | 30 min |
| 14 | Git in Practice | Clone, branch, stage, commit, push, merge - all from VS Code | 1 hr |
| 15 | Code Review: PRs, Diffs, and Feedback | PR extension, accessible diffs, inline comments, the reviewer's craft | 1.5 hrs |
| 16 | GitHub Copilot | Inline suggestions, Copilot Chat, effective prompting, custom instructions | 1 hr |
| 17 | Issue Templates | Create and customize GitHub issue templates with YAML | 1 hr |
| 18 | Fork and Contribute | The complete fork-based open source contribution workflow | 45 min |
| 19 | Accessibility Agents | 55 agents across 3 teams, 54+ slash commands, contributing to the ecosystem | 1 hr |
| 20 | Build Your Agent: Capstone | Design, build, and contribute a real accessibility agent | 1.5 hrs |
| 21 | What Comes Next | Graduation, portfolio, continued learning, community | 30 min |
Day 2 self-paced total: ~10 hours. The live Day 2 agenda focuses on VS Code, Git, Copilot, agent discovery, and supported contribution work; deeper capstone material can continue asynchronously.
Open these at any time during the workshop. They are not part of the chapter sequence - use them when you need them.
| Appendix | Document | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| A | Glossary | Every term, concept, and piece of jargon explained |
| B | Screen Reader Cheat Sheet | NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver navigation commands plus GitHub keyboard shortcuts |
| Appendix | Document | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| C | Markdown and GitHub Flavored Markdown | Complete guide from basics through GFM - headings, lists, links, tables, alerts, Mermaid, math, footnotes |
| D | Git Authentication | SSH keys, Personal Access Tokens, credential storage, commit signing |
| Appendix | Document | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| E | Advanced Git Operations | Cherry-pick, interactive rebase, reset, revert, tags, detached HEAD, force push, bisect, git clean |
| F | Git Security for Contributors | .gitignore deep dive, env variables, pre-commit hooks, secrets recovery, push protection |
| Appendix | Document | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| G | VS Code Accessibility Reference | All accessibility settings, audio signals, diff viewer, screen reader configs |
| H | GitHub Desktop | Visual Git client - clone, branch, stage, commit, push, cherry-pick, conflict resolution |
| I | GitHub CLI Reference | Installing, auth, repos, issues, PRs, releases, search, aliases, extensions, Copilot CLI |
| J | Cloud Editors (Codespaces and github.dev) | Cloud development environments, accessibility setup, screen reader usage |
| K | Copilot Reference | Features, chat participants, slash commands, MCP servers, model comparison |
| L | Accessibility Agents Reference | 55 agents, 3 teams, 5 platforms, slash commands, workspace configuration |
| Appendix | Document | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| M | Accessibility Standards Reference | WCAG 2.2, ARIA roles and patterns, PR accessibility checklist |
| N | Advanced Search | Complete query language reference for issues, PRs, code, and repos |
| O | Branch Protection and Rulesets | Required reviews, status checks, diagnosing blocked PRs |
| P | Security Features | Dependabot, secret scanning, code scanning, private advisories |
| Q | GitHub Actions and Workflows | Automation, CI/CD, agentic workflows |
| R | GitHub Projects Deep Dive | Boards, tables, roadmaps, custom fields, cross-repo projects |
| S | Releases, Tags, and Insights | Versioned releases, semver, pulse, contributors, traffic |
| Appendix | Document | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| T | Community and Social | Profiles, sponsors, wikis, organizations, templates, stars, following, topics |
| U | Discussions and Gists | Forum-style conversations, Q&A, polls, code snippets, sharing |
| V | GitHub Mobile | VoiceOver and TalkBack guide for iOS and Android |
| W | Publishing with GitHub Pages | Deploy a static site from your repository |
| X | Resources | Every link, tool, and reference from this event |
| Y | Accessing Workshop Materials | How to download, read offline, and keep updated |
| Z | GitHub Skills - Complete Course Catalog | All 36 modules in six learning paths with links and prerequisites |
The workshop includes structured exercises across the curriculum. Every exercise is designed to be completed in 1-5 minutes, is impossible to fail, and follows the same pattern: Try It -> You're done when -> What success feels like.
Note: Exercise details will be updated as chapter content is finalized in Phases 2-5. The exercises below reflect the new chapter numbers.
| Chapter | Exercise | What You Do |
|---|---|---|
| Ch 02 | 60-Second Orientation | Press 1, D, 2, H on a repo page - prove you can navigate by ear |
| Ch 03 | Five-Tab Tour | Visit Code, Issues, PRs, file finder, and README on a real repo |
| Ch 04 | Individual Challenges | Progressive challenges in the Learning Room |
| Ch 04 | Group Challenges | Collaborative exercises in the Learning Room |
| Ch 05 | File Your First Issue | Create an introduction issue in the Learning Room |
| Ch 06 | Read a Real PR | Navigate a PR's description, conversation, and diff |
| Ch 07 | Read a Conflict | Read merge conflict markers and identify both versions |
| Ch 08 | Rewrite One Comment | Transform a dismissive review comment into constructive feedback |
| Ch 09 | Label and Link | Add a label to an issue and create a cross-reference |
| Ch 10 | Tame Your Inbox | Mark a notification as done and configure watch settings |
| Ch 14 | Clone, Branch, Commit | Complete the full Git cycle: clone, branch, edit, stage, commit, push |
| Ch 15 | Review a PR from VS Code | Open a diff, use Accessible Diff Viewer (F7), leave a comment |
| Ch 16 | First Copilot Conversation | Ask Copilot Chat a question about your repo and read the response |
| Ch 17 | Use an Issue Template | Use an existing issue template in Accessibility Agents |
| Ch 17 | Create a Template | Create an accessibility bug report template locally |
| Ch 17 | Submit Upstream | Submit your template upstream via a real PR |
| Ch 19 | Agent Exercises | Generate, extend, and iterate with accessibility agents |
| Ch 20 | Capstone | Design, build, and contribute an accessibility agent |
If you get stuck at any point during the workshop, these resources are always available:
| Resource | What It Is | When to Use It |
|---|---|---|
| FAQ | Answers to common questions | When you have a question about the workshop, GitHub, or screen readers |
| Troubleshooting | Step-by-step solutions to common problems | When something is not working |
| Quick Reference | Condensed shortcuts and commands | When you need a keyboard shortcut or command fast |
| Glossary | Term definitions | When you encounter an unfamiliar word |
| Screen Reader Cheat Sheet | Navigation commands | When you need a screen reader shortcut |
| Resources | External links and documentation | When you want to learn more about a topic |
Still stuck? Open a support issue at https://github.com/Community-Access/support/issues describing what you tried, what happened, and what you expected. Include your screen reader and operating system.
| Aspect | Day 1 | Day 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | GitHub web interface | VS Code + Accessibility Agents |
| Tools | Browser, screen reader | VS Code, Copilot, Accessibility Agents |
| Chapters | 00-10 (11 chapters) | 11-21 (11 chapters) |
| Skills | Navigate, Issue, PR, Review, Merge | Git, Copilot, Agents, Fork, Capstone |
| Outcome | You can use GitHub independently | You have a real contribution path and review process |
| Time | ~8 hours | ~10 hours |
Ready to begin? Start with Chapter 00: Pre-Workshop Setup.
Last updated: May 2026