For millions of immigrants and refugees living in the United States, navigating essential federal programs poses quite a challenge. Individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) often struggle to access critical services like Medicare — even though these agencies are required by law to offer language access services, individuals with LEP often have trouble accessing them as easily as their English-speaking counterparts.
This difficulty arises in part due to the fact that the federal government’s guidelines for supporting individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP) are rather outdated — most federal agencies today utilize guidelines based on the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) LEP Guidance published in 2002. A lot has changed in the last two decades — so our approach to language access at the federal level should adapt to reflect those changes. In fact, there are a couple of key challenges with the current federal approach to language access.
Firstly, federal agencies today usually follow a single set of LEP guidelines for all programs, rather than tailored language access plans for each. While this one-size-fits-all approach might have worked in 2002, it falls short as programs have diversified and gone digital. Additionally, there is little transparency about the effectiveness of these language access plans. Although agencies are required to have them, few processes exist to evaluate their efficacy or enforcement.
If you work with a federal agency and are looking for ways to develop a unique and creative language access plan, this blog post will give you some insight into how you can address these challenges, particularly in the research and early phases of development. We’ll start with a look at the stakeholders who will be most impacted by changes to your LEP guidance and then explore the other areas you need to consider, from data collection to IT support.
You may also be interested in: Common Components of a Language Access Plan
Frontline Staff
While language access measures are put in place to help individuals with LEP, those end users aren’t the only people who will be impacted by changes to your agency’s language access guidelines. It’s also important to consider how this will impact your frontline staff, who are often the first point of contact for LEP individuals.
You’ll want to consider the ways your staff typically interact with LEP users — do they talk to them on the phone or is communication mostly through mail or online, text-based channels? Answering questions like this will help you identify weakness in your current processes and customize your plan to a specific program. Ensuring that these staff members are equipped with the necessary training and resources to effectively communicate with LEP individuals is critical for the success of any language access plan. Depending on how they interact with users, you may want to hire additional bilingual staff who can perform these tasks in a language commonly spoken among LEP individuals who seek your services.
Vendors and Consultants
Odds are, you’ll need a lot of support from outside sources — vendors like language service providers, as well as DEI consultants, research organizations, community representatives and community-based organizations (CBOs) should play a prominent role in the development and implementation of any language access plan.
You can work with language service providers to identify the kinds of language services you need, whether it’s over-the-phone interpreting, document translation, website localization, or something else. Meanwhile, consultants and other organizations can share valuable insights into the specific needs of LEP users. For example, a CBO that works with specific immigrant populations can help you organize focus group sessions with LEP residents who seek access to your programs; DEI consultants can provide you with information about the best practices for making sure your language access plan is equitable and inclusive.
Data Collection
A solid language access plan starts with comprehensive data. Use existing sources like U.S. Census data and the American Community Survey (ACS) to identify LEP demographics and common languages spoken among the immigrants who are most likely to need your services. You should also supplement this with internal data on service usage, user feedback, and past interactions to uncover current language access gaps.
Combining this data with the insights provided by vendors and other third parties like CBOs can provide first-hand insights from LEP individuals and staff who interact with them. Collecting both quantitative and qualitative data ensures your language access plan is targeted, effective, and responsive to the actual needs of the community.
Channels
The way we connect with one another has changed quite a bit since 2002 — social media and the internet have become critical outreach channels and as such, effective language access requires using them to reach individuals with LEP. Be sure to integrate a mix of digital and traditional methods such as online platforms, printed materials, phone services, and in-person interactions. Websites and apps should be optimized for multilingual access, with clear navigation in users’ preferred languages.
Be careful not to put all your eggs in one basket though. Digitization is important, but it’s also important to use print media and other channels, as individuals with LEP (especially elderly folks) may face digital inclusion barriers that English speakers don’t. Don’t overlook community hubs like churches and local nonprofits that LEP individuals trust. Partnering with these groups can help amplify outreach and build awareness of available services. By diversifying communication channels, you enhance the likelihood that LEP users can access critical information and support seamlessly.
Ongoing Support
In the early phases of planning and developing LEP guidance, you’ll also want to consider the ongoing support you’ll need after the plan’s been implemented. Maybe you’ll need additional support from your IT specialists after localizing your website to make sure that everything functions properly (i.e., you don’t want a link on the Spanish version of your website to direct users to an English webpage or PDF). Additionally, you’ll also want to work with CBOs and community members to receive regular feedback on your language access measures to make sure that you’re able to adapt to the needs of your programs’ LEP users.
Summary
Modernizing your language access plans can be a major task — as the DOJ’s federal guidance on language access hasn’t changed much in two decades, there’s a lot to consider after two decades of change in other dimensions. Here are some key questions federal agencies should ask themselves if they plan on developing a language access plan for the modern era:
- How will updates to your language access plan impact frontline staff?
- Which third parties can help you develop and implement your language access plan?
- What kind of data can you use to inform your language access measures?
- How can you utilize a variety of digital and analog channels to communicate and reach out to LEP individuals?
- What sort of ongoing support will you need after implementing your modernized language access plan?
If you’re looking to revamp your agency’s LEP guidance and implement a more modern approach to language access, Avantpage has you covered. We offer translation and interpreting services that are crucial to any language access plan — not to mention, we also offer in-depth language access consulting services to help you lay out a roadmap for your organization. Contact us today at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040 to learn more.
