Flickr-like api for downloads?

My students and I develop software for kids with disabilities. In our first web-based app (http://tarheelreader.org) we used the Flickr API to enable book authors to quickly and easily find pictures. We would like to develop a similar site for blind children with the emphasis on sounds rather than images. So, I'd like to make search for sounds as easy as searching for pictures.

That brings me to my questions:

1) Are there any plans for an API to access soundsnap?

2) Assuming a human is driving the queries, and they don't come too fast, could I gather the data by screen scraping without violating the terms of use?

3) At Flickr we're only using pictures that are licensed in the Creative Commons. Would our not-for-profit use of these sounds in activities for kids with disabilities, violate the new terms you appear to be considering?

2) The site will be http://harkthesound.org though there is nothing to see there now. It will be an online version of our very popular game for blind kids "Hark the Sound". It is a collection of simple games like "Name that Animal", "Name that Rock and Roll tune", "Food Groups" etc. Kids navigate with the arrow keys to choose games and to play. In a game like "Name that Animal" the kid hears "Can you name this animal?" followed by an animal sound. Then using the arrow keys he/she can choose from four animal names. There are games about Braille letters, colors, you name it.

Teachers, parents, and other kids make new games using a simple editor. In the editor a teacher who wants a game about horses might type a query "horse" and get back a set of sounds. She can listen to each and either choose one or go on to the next group. When she selects a sound, it will become the sound for that item in the game. My site will take care of all the downloading and such.

The current version of the game is written in Python and is a 15Meg download. We also send free CDs. We want to move it online and so it will be more readily available and so that games will be easy to share.

I want to replicate the amazing success we've had with Tar Heel Reader (http://tarheelreader.org) in attracting a literally world-wide group of teachers, parents, and kids who are writing picture books for beginning readers. The books are switch accessible for kids with motor impairments and speech enabled for kids who need the book read to them the first few times. In Tar Heel Reader, the main attraction is the great pictures folks find on Flickr. Take a look at a typical book like http://tarheelreader.org/2008/11/07/flowers-are-colourful/ and you'll get the idea.

To make this work for kids who are blind or visually impaired we'll need compelling sounds. We'll likely use pictures also, since many kids have some vision. But the sounds are what will make the games attractive to kids.

So, I'm looking for ways to make sounds available to authors of these games.

3) Great! It is a good cause. Way too often kids with disabilities sit with nothing to do while their classmates do some interesting computer activity. We're trying to change that.