Alabama Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled officials fear federal cuts
The Alabama Library for the Blind and Physically Disabled (ALBPD) serves about 7,000 Alabamians with free audio and books in braille.
BPD officials fear that could all go away if the Trump administration continues to make funding cuts to the National Library Service.
The ALBPD is part of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). IMLS received federal funding, which is funded federally, meaning the state does not give any funds to the accessibility sect of APLS. In March, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order in March to dissolve the small agency.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Kelyn Ralya, the interim director of the Alabama Public Library Service, told members of the BPD Consumer Advisory Committee Tuesday that the agency cut its staffing from 77 employees to 12 this spring.
'That's quite a cut there,' Ralya said. 'Some of the folks that we know are still there, and so we at least have a good contact there.'
Beyond national leadership changes, Rhonda Napier, the regional librarian, said she is most worried about federal funding cuts. Ralya told the committee that federal grants were split into two distributions this year. She said they received the first part and are supposed to receive the second half soon.
Twenty-one states sued the Trump administration in March in an attempt to delay funding cuts to IMLS and other smaller agencies. A federal judge stalled the dismantling of the agencies through the lawsuit on May 7, according to NPR.
'I do believe that department has been dismantled, or that's what they're going for,' Ralya said. 'I'm not sure if it's like that, as in, the funding goes to another source. We just don't know that yet.'
Without grants from IMLS, Napier said, the ALBPD would disappear.
'Which means all of this goes away,' Napier said in an interview after the meeting, gesturing to long rows of shelves that have books in braille and audiobook tapes.
Napier said the service sends out tapes and book readers to its patrons for free, just like going to an in-person library with physical books. Each tape can hold up to eight books and plugs into the readers via USB port, which she said is a more modern version of a cassette tape.
The library has a diverse selection of genres, from children's books to textbooks on statistics. She said there are services that will translate books into braille, but it isn't free like the library. She said the same of audiobook services like Audible and Spotify.
'All of it is paid for. This is a completely free service,' she said. 'Audible, obviously, you have to pay for it, you have to download their software and install it. None of that occurs here.'
Ralya also talked about the recent firing of the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, along with the assistant director and the director of the copyright office. Todd Blanche, who represented Donald Trump during his 2024 criminal trial, replaced Hayden.
'That is very disturbing,' Penny Moss, vice chair of the committee said.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
Appeals court lets the White House suspend or end billions in foreign aid
WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided panel of appeals court judges ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration can suspend or terminate billions of dollars of congressionally appropriated funding for foreign aid. Two of three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit concluded that grant recipients challenging the freeze did not meet the requirements for a preliminary injunction restoring the flow of money. In January, on the first day of his second term in the White House, Republican President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to freeze spending on foreign aid. After groups of grant recipients sued to challenge that order, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered the administration to release the full amount of foreign assistance that Congress had appropriated for the 2024 budget year. The appeal court's majority partially vacated Ali's order. Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson and Gregory Katsas concluded that the plaintiffs did not have a valid legal basis for the court to hear their claims. The ruling was not on the merits of whether the government unconstitutionally infringed on Congress' spending powers. 'The parties also dispute the scope of the district court's remedy but we need not resolve it ... because the grantees have failed to satisfy the requirements for a preliminary injunction in any event,' Henderson wrote. Judge Florence Pan, who dissented, said the Supreme Court has held 'in no uncertain terms' that the president does not have the authority to disobey laws for policy reasons. 'Yet that is what the majority enables today,' Pan wrote. 'The majority opinion thus misconstrues the separation-of-powers claim brought by the grantees, misapplies precedent, and allows Executive Branch officials to evade judicial review of constitutionally impermissible actions.' The money at issue includes nearly $4 billion for USAID to spend on global health programs and more than $6 billion for HIV and AIDS programs. Trump has portrayed the foreign aid as wasteful spending that does not align with his foreign policy goals. Henderson was nominated to the court by Republican President George H.W. Bush. Katsas was nominated by Trump. Pan was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fact Check: President Donald Trump Did NOT Announce Clearance Of Homeless People From All 50 States - Only D.C.
Did President Donald Trump announce the clearance of homeless people from all 50 states? No, that's not true: Trump declared on his Truth Social account, "the Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY," in reference to Washington, D.C. He issued an executive order on August 11, 2025, declaring a crime emergency in the District of Columbia. He said his administration had begun removing homeless people from parks in the nation's capital during a press briefing but he has not announced this would happen in all 50 states, as of the publication of this article. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published on TikTok on August 12, 2025. It opened with a caption on a video that read: BREAKING NEWS Starting from 4 a.m., Trump ordered the complete clearance of homeless people in 50 states. This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing: The 1-minute video made the claim with the audio saying: Trump announced starting this morning all 50 states across the United States will completely eliminate homelessness. This time we will thoroughly clean up the country. He spoke bluntly on social media. Let our nation be safer and more beautiful than ever before. The same claim was made on X with the same video: It's clear from his public statements that the President was only referring to Washington, D.C. and not the entire country. Trump posted a message about Washington, D.C. on his Truth Social account (archived here) on August 10, 2025, writing: We're having a News Conference tomorrow in the White House. I'm going to make our Capital safer and more beautiful than it ever was before. The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don't have to move out. We're going to put you in jail where you belong. It's all going to happen very fast, just like the Border. We went from millions pouring in, to ZERO in the last few months. This will be easier -- Be prepared! There will be no "MR. NICE GUY." We want our Capital BACK. Thank you for your attention to this matter! Trump issued an executive order on August 11, 2025, titled, Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia, (archived here), but it did not mention homeless people or the removal of homeless people. During his August 11, 2025, news briefing (archived here), Trump said his administration began removing homeless encampments "from all over our parks, our beautiful, beautiful parks." He did not say there would be a clearance of homeless people in all 50 states as of August 12, 2025. Lead Stories searched Google News' index of thousands of news websites and found no reports (archived here) of Trump clearing the homeless in all 50 states. Similarly, the Yahoo! News index of partner news sites and news services showed news reports of Trump clearing the homeless in Washington, D.C., not all 50 states (archived here).
Fox News
12 hours ago
- Fox News
White House reviewing all Smithsonian museum, exhibit content before America 250 celebration in 2026
The Trump administration is cracking down on the Smithsonian Institution ahead of America's 250th anniversary celebration next year, requiring specific national museums and affiliated exhibits to "reflect the unity, progress, and enduring values that define the American story." In a letter penned to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III, Trump administration officials laid out a review process that the institution will undergo in order to ensure alignment with President Donald Trump's "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" executive order. "This initiative aims to ensure alignment with the President's directive to celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions," the letter reads. The following museums are included during Phase I of the comprehensive internal review: the National Museums of American History, Natural History, African American History and Culture, and American Indian; the National Air and Space Museum; the Smithsonian American Art Museum; the National Portrait Gallery and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The administration said the review is "rooted in respect" for the institution's mission and contributions, and the goal is not to interfere with daily operations, but to highlight "historically accurate, uplifting, and inclusive portrayals of America's heritage." The review has five focus points, ranging from an analysis of current and future content within exhibitions at the museums to ensuring that all guidelines for museum content reflect the "Smithsonian's original mission." Museum curators and senior staff will also be interviewed to "better understand the selection process, exhibition approval workflows, and any frameworks currently guiding exhibition content." The administration is also asking that the aforementioned museums provide them with all materials – including digital files – for current, upcoming and traveling exhibitions; educational resources; external partnerships; grant-related documentation; survey responses; and internal guidelines and governance. All of those items will be reviewed by staff tasked with ensuring the institution aligns with Trump's order. A 120-day implementation guideline was given, but the museums are expected to act on some parts of the process within 30 days of receiving the letter from the administration. The immediate tasks include submitting current exhibition descriptions, draft plans for upcoming shows, America 250 programming materials, and internal guidelines used in exhibition development. The museums will also choose a staff liaison to serve as the primary contact point during the review process, which will also include on-site observational visits. Within 120 days, the museums will be expected to implement corrections to content, if needed, and to replace any "divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions." The Trump administration anticipates completing the review in early 2026 and described the process as "a collaborative and forward-looking opportunity" that focuses on "the strength, breadth, and achievements of the American story." "By focusing on Americanism—the people, principles, and progress that define our nation—we can work together to renew the Smithsonian's role as the world's leading museum institution," the letter read. It concluded by saying that the goal is for the Smithsonian Institution to remain "vibrant, trusted and inspiring for generations to come."
