Repository navigation
Screen Reader Anounce Authorize VS Code Button As Unavailable #70
Description
Type of Accessibility Issue
Other (describe below)
Describe the Issue
I am currently following the steps outlined on the pre-workshop page and have reached Step 8. When attempting to sign in to GitHub through Visual Studio Code using the Command Palette, the “Sign in” option does not appear.
As a workaround, I tried signing in through the Accounts menu. This opened a verification session in my browser. After selecting my account, the GitHub authorization page appeared, listing the permissions to authorize Visual Studio Code. Each permission includes a “Show more info” button, along with “Cancel” and “Authorize Visual Studio Code” buttons at the bottom.
However, my screen reader announces the “Authorize Visual Studio Code” button as unavailable (disabled). I have attempted this process using three different browsers — Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Google Chrome — but encountered the same result each time.
At this point, I am unsure how to proceed. I would appreciate any guidance or assistance you can provide.
Steps to Reproduce
- Open VS Code.
- tab until you reach the acounts and press enter. Arrow Down to sign in and press enter.
- a verify session opens on the browser, asking you to which account do you want to authorize the app. After choosing an account, the authentication page appears.
Screen Reader
NVDA (Windows)
Browser
Other (describe below)
Operating System and Version
Windows 10
Relevant WCAG Success Criterion (if known)
None
Impact on Your Workflow
I will not be able to use GitHub Copilot Chat and GitHub Pull Requests if VS Code is not authorize.
Additional Context
No response
Activity
Mark-Iott commentedon Mar 6, 2026
I am encountering the same problem.
accesswatch commentedon Mar 9, 2026
Hi @evangeline-dionisio, thanks for the detailed report across all three browsers.
This is a known quirk with the GitHub OAuth authorization page -- NVDA announces the "Authorize Visual Studio Code" button as unavailable/disabled even though it is actually enabled. The page uses JavaScript that can delay the button becoming interactive, and screen readers sometimes read the initial disabled state before the script activates it.
Workarounds (try in order)
Press Enter anyway. Even though NVDA announces "unavailable," the button is often actually active by the time you reach it. Tab to the button, wait 2-3 seconds, and press Enter or Space.
Wait for the page to fully load. After the authorization page opens, wait 5-10 seconds before interacting. The JavaScript that enables the button may still be loading.
Tab through the entire page first, then go back. Press Tab repeatedly until you reach the end of the page, then Shift+Tab back to the Authorize button. This sometimes triggers the JavaScript to activate it.
Try refreshing the page. Press F5 to reload, wait for the page to fully load, then Tab to the button.
Alternative: Use GitHub CLI to authenticate. If the browser flow continues to block you, you can authenticate from the terminal instead:
Follow the prompts -- it will give you a code and open a simpler browser page where you just paste the code. No "Authorize" button involved.
This is a GitHub platform issue (the authorization page's JavaScript timing) rather than something we can fix in the workshop materials, but the workarounds above should get you unblocked.
Let us know which approach works for you!
evangeline-dionisio commentedon Mar 17, 2026
Hi @accesswatch I was able to fix it on the second day of the workshop. I had to uninstall the GitHub Copilot extension, then sign in and authorize it again. I copied the link from the authentication page and opened it in Microsoft Edge, and the authorize button magically became enabled. I’m not sure why it didn’t work when I first created the issue. Maybe the universe knew I’d need it that day. Thanks for the suggestions—I’ll keep them in mind for future reference in case someone else runs into the same problem.
accesswatch commentedon Oct 29, 2026
Reported upstream to GitHub as a discussion in the Accessibility category of GitHub Community: https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/211602. It is listed in ACCESSIBILITY.md under "Dependencies and upstream blockers".