Navigating GitHub as a Blind Developer: How I Built a Python Workflow to Reclaim My Code

As a backend developer, code is my craft. I spend my days architecting APIs, optimizing databases, and orchestrating containers. But there is a hidden friction in modern software engineering that most sighted developers never have to think about: the user interface barrier.

I am completely blind. When I code, my screen reader is my primary window to the digital world, translating code structures, logs, and terminal outputs into speech or Braille. Modern web applications are increasingly complex, packed with dynamic JavaScript, infinite scrolls, and intricate visual widgets. While platforms like GitHub are indispensable for modern engineering, navigating heavy web interfaces with a screen reader can often feel like walking through a maze of hidden walls.

The Problem: The Web UI Labyrinth

Imagine trying to review a massive pull request on GitHub via a screen reader. You encounter endless nested buttons, hidden dropdowns, visually-driven diff views, and dynamic updates that trigger focus jumps. Every click requires navigating through dozens of wrapper elements, layout tables, and icons that lack proper semantic labels.

Instead of focusing on logic, architecture, and bug resolution, a significant portion of my cognitive load was spent simply fighting the interface to find what I needed: What are the failing tests on this commit? Which files were modified in this pull request? Can I quickly fetch issue comments without wading through tons of layout boilerplate?

I realized that if the front-end web experience was slowing me down, I needed to bypass it entirely. As a backend developer, I had the ultimate tool at my disposal: Python and the command line.

The Solution: A Streamlined CLI & API Workflow

I decided to build a custom workflow tailored specifically to my needs—one that leverages programmatic access to fetch, filter, and interact with my repositories without ever opening a browser tab. By combining Python scripts, the GitHub API, and terminal tools, I transformed a frustrating web navigation chore into a lightning-fast, keyboard-driven experience.

Here is a glimpse into how I automated the friction away.

1. Interfacing with GitHub via Python

Instead of clicking through pull request tabs, I wrote a modular Python script using standard requests and the GitHub REST API to pull essential metadata instantly. Clean, text-based output reads linearly through my screen reader without any visual distractions.

import os
import requests

def fetch_active_pull_requests(repo_owner, repo_name):
    url = f"https://api.github.com/repos/{repo_owner}/{repo_name}/pulls"
    headers = {
        "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ.get('GITHUB_TOKEN')}",
        "Accept": "application/vnd.github+json"
    }
    
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
    if response.status_code == 200:
        prs = response.json()
        print(f"\nFound {len(prs)} open pull requests for {repo_name}:\n")
        for pr in prs:
            print(f"- PR #{pr['number']}: {pr['title']} (Author: {pr['user']['login']})")
    else:
        print(f"Error fetching PRs: {response.status_code}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    fetch_active_pull_requests("bentaherghassen", "my-backend-repo")

2. Leveraging the GitHub CLI (gh) for Rapid Actions

While my custom Python scripts handle specialized automation, I heavily rely on the official GitHub CLI (gh) integrated into my terminal environment. Checking out a pull request locally to test a fix used to involve copying branch names from a web UI and switching contexts. Now, it is a single keystroke:

gh pr checkout 42

The terminal is inherently accessible. It streams text sequentially, respects my screen reader's pacing, and keeps my hands glued to the keyboard where they belong.

Engineering for Accessibility

Building this workflow did more than just save time; it fundamentally changed my daily developer experience. It reinforced a core lesson that applies to all software engineering: Accessibility is not an afterthought; it is a driver of efficiency.

When you design workflows that are optimized for screen readers and text-based interactions, you often end up building cleaner, faster, and more modular systems for everyone. By taking control of the tools we use, we can break down barriers and ensure that engineering remains a field defined by what you can build, rather than how you navigate the UI.

"Code is poetry, and the terminal is my canvas. Removing the noise lets the logic speak for itself."

If you've ever felt bogged down by heavy web interfaces, take a step back, open up your terminal, and write a script to take back your workflow. Your future self—and your productivity—will thank you.

 # Star the repo if you want :Github repo finder