How to use the VS Code CoPilot Extension with a Screen Reader (NVDA)

[TimA11y]

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How do I successfully use the VS Code copilot extension when I use a screen reader (NVDA)? I am reading through the getting started document for Copilot and trying to follow along in VS Code. I figured I would need to use the feature where I press control+enter to have copilot provide multiple suggestions for code that I can review. But the way to accept the suggestion appears to be to click an accept button above the suggestion? But there appears to be no way for me to locate or activate the accept button? Anyone figure this out?

If there is someone who created the extension that would be willing to work with me, I probably could suggest solutions if there is no way to do this now.

[hrishikesh-kocharekar-dev]

Configure your screen reader: Make sure that your screen reader is set up to work well with VS Code. You can configure your screen reader settings to optimize it for code editing, such as turning off auto-reading, using punctuation settings, and adjusting the verbosity level. You can refer to the NVDA user guide for more information on configuring your screen reader.

Use keyboard shortcuts: Instead of relying on mouse clicks, try using keyboard shortcuts to navigate and interact with the suggestions provided by Copilot. The shortcut for accepting a suggestion is usually "Enter" or "Tab", depending on the context. You can also use arrow keys to navigate between the suggestions.

Use the "Quick Fix" feature: Copilot provides a "Quick Fix" feature that allows you to automatically apply a suggestion without having to manually accept it. To use this feature, you can press "Ctrl+." (Control and period) to open the "Quick Fix" menu, and then use the arrow keys to select the suggestion you want to apply and press "Enter" to confirm.

[TimA11y]

The problem is that when I enter some code and Copilot has a suggestion, there is no way using the keyboard and the screen reader for me to review the suggestion before accepting it by pressing tab or enter. Using the arrow keys only causes the screen reader to read the current line of code.

However, if I press control+enter (on Windows) Copilot will open a new tab where it will create multiple solutions which I can review using the keyboard and screen reader with no problems. However, according to the getting started instructions provided by the extension, I am suppose to click the Accept button which evidently appears above each of the proposed solutions. I am suppose to click the accept button that corresponds to that solution. However, there is no way for me to access that accept button with the keyboard or by using the functionality provided by the screen reader. So I have no way to accept one of the suggested solutions after I review it.

Is there some way that I can place the cursor inside the code I want to use and have it added to my code? It doesn't appear so. Is there some keystroke I can use to accept the code and have it ported back into my code? I've not found a solution for that either.

I am hoping someone knows something about the accessibility of the Github Copilot extension that would allow me to use this extension successfully.

Thanks!

[github-actions[bot]]

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