Is anyone taking bets on how long it'll be before the NLS is told to discontinue BARD? After all, it's taking money from privately-owned book publishers, it hosts books with terrible, woke messages (such as the horrifying idea that LGBT people exist and deserve rights), and the money used to buy and ship braille displays would be much better spent if it went to the country's billionaires, or maybe to police/ICE so they can arrest more peaceful protestors.
@alexhall Likewise for Bookshare which I fear is in quite a precarious position.
@jscholes @alexhall While I understand that the DMCA carveout is renewed for accessibility every four years, I don't believe Bookshare is run by a U.S. federal agency. It does get funding from somewhere for its free accounts for students and comparatively less expensive cost depending on the level of the country, but it still should be fine otherwise. Not that we shouldn't be concerned, I'm just saying it's potentially not as dire as the U.S. National Library Service for the print-disabled.
@twynn Sure, it's operated by Benetech, a nonprofit. They're lovely people, but perpetually underfunded.
In the case of Bookshare, I believe that a good chunk of their funding comes from grants and the Department of Education. The current administration has both of those well and truly in its sights.
I hope other funding sources turn out to be sufficient, including the licensing of their software to other countries. For instance, it's used to run multiple RNIB offerings in the UK. I hope they're not undercharging for those things, otherwise those services could also indirectly be under threat. @alexhall
@twynn @jscholes @alexhall Do people really think Bard could go away? I've been thinking this but honestly I don't feel like anything will happen to it. I know all the blindness orgs would have a fit, and I don't think the admin would win against someone like the NFB. Mabey I'm wrong, but I hope not.
@BorrisInABox @twynn @jscholes @alexhall Yeah that's a good point and something to think about. I'm actively trying to remain hopeful that some kind of drastic action will be taken by someone at some point, but I know that isn't likely to happen.
@ZBennoui I don't know enough to comment. My assertion about Bookshare's relatively precarious position was based on it not being backed by the might of the Library of Congress, unlike NLS.
Whether or not that will matter, or whether anybody's guesses will be proven accurate, remains to be seen. But in general if you want to know how vulnerable something is in this current climate, start by looking at its funding sources, biggest supporters, and primary audience served. @twynn @alexhall
@ZBennoui I mean NLS is part of the Legislative branch so executive orders and such may not have a direct impact unlike other agencies in the Executive branch like the U.S. Department of Education, but the threat is very much tangible for sure, given the fact that legislative branch or no, Congress dictates budget. No budget, no priority/service. I do not have high hopes of separation of powers coming into play as any kind of protection. I am not a lawyer. @jscholes @alexhall