State Executive Best Practice Series: Building Language Accessibility Infrastructure

On March 2nd, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Refugee Advocacy Lab hosted a webinar in their best practice series for state executive staff.

For 21 million people, language barriers can pose a substantial obstacle to finding work and accessing critical public services and resources such as emergency help, education, health care, and legal advice. Language access initiatives help bridge this gap. By connecting limited English proficiency (LEP) individuals with the services and institutions they need to thrive, language access facilitates the inclusion, wellbeing, safety, and success of our communities.

This month’s webinar offered guidance for meeting federal requirements under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and shared support resources from the U.S. Department of Justice. Communities and states across the United States—from towns as small as Brighton, Michigan to New York State—have successfully implemented language access policies to make sure LEP individuals in their communities can access public services and opportunities. Following this, a guided discussion between two state Offices of Language Access addressed the role statewide offices play in centralizing and streamlining support for English Language Learning Communities across their states.

Moderator
- Annie Healion, Utah and Nevada State Lead, Refugee Advocacy Lab & International Rescue Committee
Speakers
- Michael J. Mulé, Civil Rights Division U.S. Department of Justice
- Aphirak Bamrungruan, Executive Director, State of Hawaii - Office of Language Access
- Laura Gonzalez Murphy, Director of the New York Office for New Americans
- Margarita Larios, Executive Director of the New York State Office of Language Access