Response to questions around the new group

[Quentin Christensen]

Hi everyone,

Our decision to create a new, official user group has caused some disruption and raised many questions. We believe in transparency and want to provide clear answers to the community. This FAQ addresses the most common concerns we have seen. If you have any questions about the content, you are most welcome to contact us directly. Please avoid further conversation about these topics on the user list as we want to prioritise supporting NVDA users and don’t want to flood people’s inboxes.  

 

1. Why was it necessary to create a new, official user group? The old group seemed to be working fine for many people. 

For many years, the independently run group was a valuable resource that we were proud to endorse. However, the group's owner recently implemented a new moderation policy that explicitly tolerates personal insults and hostile communication. 

This change was quickly followed by aggressive exchanges that, while permitted under their new rules, were unacceptable under the NVDA Code of Conduct. We have a responsibility to ensure that the primary community space we recommend to our users, including new users, young people and those in marginalised groups, is safe, respectful and inclusive. The new policy made the old group an environment we could no longer ethically or professionally endorse. 

As no alternative group was available, NV Access created the new group. 

 

2. Did NV Access try to resolve this issue with the owner of the old group before taking this step? 

Yes. Our first and preferred course of action was to resolve this privately. Over several public and private exchanges, we contacted the group's owner directly to express our serious concerns and find a path forward that would bring the group's moderation policy back in line with the principles of the NVDA Code of Conduct. These attempts at private resolution were definitively rejected and characterised as over-reach by NV Access. This left us with no other responsible option but to create a new, safe and officially endorsed space for the community. 

 

3. What will moderation in the new group be like? Are you creating an echo chamber where criticism will be censored? 

Absolutely not. The new group is about ensuring a baseline of respectful conduct, and not about controlling conversation. The group will be user-run and moderated by trusted, long-standing community members who are committed to fostering a constructive environment. NV Access's role was in setting up the group and the community will lead it. 

Our users need a space safe from personal attacks, bullying and harassment. That does not mean safe from criticism. Constructive discussion and respectful debate about NVDA and NV Access are welcome and essential for the project's health and growth. 

 

4. Why is an independent group expected to follow the NVDA Code of Conduct? Isn't that an overreach of authority? 

This is a key point of misunderstanding. We do not believe NV Access can or should control independent community spaces. The owner of the old group is free to run it as they see fit. However, we are also not forced to officially endorse, promote or direct our users to a space that has demonstrated that its rules are fundamentally incompatible with our project's core values. This was a decision to withdraw our endorsement. 

In the marketplace of ideas, we must choose to associate with and recommend communities that we believe are safe and productive. As there was no other established alternative group, creating our own was the only way to ensure a space existed that we could confidently recommend to all users.  

 

5. Are you diverting developer time and donations to run this new user group? 

No. This is a critical piece of misinformation we want to correct. 

The new group was set up by NV Access, but it is run and moderated by community volunteers. It does not draw resources away from software development. 

6. Now that you have a new official group, will you stop posting important announcements to other community spaces? 

In addition to continuing our announcements on social media and email, we will focus our user-facing announcements on the new, official NVDA User Group. We view this as a key channel for user engagement, much in the same way that an organisation may choose to post to Bluesky, while at the same time also deciding not to cross-post to X or Truth Social.  For announcements relevant to the add-on or developer groups, we will also continue to post in the nvda-addons and nvda-devel groups. 

We fully encourage and welcome community members to share our announcements far and wide, including back to the old group or any other relevant space such as non-Anglophone NVDA groups. Access to information is important, and we rely on the community to help spread the word through its many networks. 

 

7. Why did you choose Google Groups for the new platform? 

Every platform has its pros and cons, and users have different preferences. Google Groups was chosen for its reliability, excellent integration with email clients, solid infrastructure and familiarity to a large portion of the user base.  Cost was also a factor, and groups.io no longer allows unlimited free groups, as was the case when other related groups were setup on that platform. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please do feel free to reach out to us at in...@nvaccess.org

--

Quentin Christensen

Training and Support Manager

NV Access

www.nvaccess.org 

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