Accessibility as a cultural foundation
“Nothing about us without us” is a core belief in the disability community, and GitHub has taken that principle into its engineering culture. The company’s approach centers on giving people with disabilities the tools and platform to build technology themselves, not just advising on it. That ethos shapes the programs outlined below, all designed to scale accessibility across the organization.
Mandatory company-wide training
Every GitHub employee is required to complete accessibility training. The curriculum covers disability types, assistive technologies, disability etiquette, and the business case for accessibility at GitHub. This shared baseline of knowledge supports the larger accessibility program and defines the role each employee plays in building an inclusive platform.
Engineering Fundamentals and scorecards
Accessibility governance is anchored in the Engineering Fundamentals program, which defines and measures engineering excellence across the GitHub platform. The program’s three pillars—accessibility, availability, and security—are continuously monitored through scorecards. For the accessibility pillar, two scorecards track how services meet GitHub’s accessibility expectations. When a service falls short, owners receive clear action items to remediate the gaps.
Designing for accessibility from the start
Because accessibility barriers are easiest to prevent during design, GitHub launched its Accessibility Design Bootcamp. This live educational program combines exercises, discussions, and knowledge-sharing sessions focused on web accessibility best practices, the designer’s role in creating accessible products, and how to advocate for accessibility with cross-functional partners. Since its March 2023 start, four cohorts have completed the bootcamp, representing 50% of the design team.
Accessibility Champions program
The Champions program grew from an initial 17 engineering champions to 52 today. Participants work through hands-on exercises and team discussions, and the program has evolved based on their feedback. Monthly Champions Connect meetings give champions a regular space to share ideas, while bug bashes and collaborative events let them identify and fix accessibility issues in real time. GitHub plans to reach at least 100 champions by year-end.
Primer: accessible components at scale
The open source Primer design system provides the shared language and design patterns for UI across GitHub. Component development incorporates accessibility feedback from users with disabilities throughout the process, making Primer the primary vehicle for implementing accessibility at scale. The component library and color system have both been improved with inclusivity as a design goal.
GitHub’s accessibility culture currently rests on company-wide training, the Engineering Fundamentals program, the Design Bootcamp, the Champions program, and the Primer design system. Accessibility remains an ongoing effort, with updates through the accessibility.github.com site and the accessibility community discussion page.
