<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="">New policy aims to open city government to limited English speakers</h1><div class=""><div class="">By <a itemprop="author" href="http://worcestermag.com/author/tom-quinn">Tom Quinn</a> -</div><div class="">January 26, 2016</div><br></div><div class=""><div class=""> <a class="" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fworcestermag.com%2F2016%2F01%2F26%2Fnew-policy-aims-to-open-city-government-to-limited-english-speakers%2F39805"><div class=""><br></div></a> <a class="" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=New+policy+aims+to+open+city+government+to+limited+English+speakers&url=http%3A%2F%2Fworcestermag.com%2F2016%2F01%2F26%2Fnew-policy-aims-to-open-city-government-to-limited-english-speakers%2F39805&via=worcestermag"><div class="">T</div></a> </div></div><div class=""><a class="" href="http://worcestermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Ascentria_4070.jpg"><img itemprop="image" class="" src="http://worcestermag.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Ascentria_4070-696x416.jpg" alt="," title="Ascentria_4070" height="416" width="696"></a></div><p><em>Above: Ascentria’s Worcester headquarters/Steven King photo</em></p><p>In
an increasingly diverse urban area, the fact that Worcester’s
government is dominated by English speakers can be a challenge. In an
effort to increase accessibility for all its citizens, the city recently
instituted a Limited English Proficiency Language Access Policy to
ensure people with limited English skills have the same access to
government services that native English speakers enjoy.</p><p>“The steps
that the city is taking to assure that all of our residents, no matter
what languages they speak, can access important information and benefit
from programs and services is imperative if we want to become an even
more welcoming city, embracing people of all cultural and linguistic
backgrounds,” City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. said in a press release.</p><p>As
part of the new city policy, each city department will now have a LEP
coordinator who will report any problems with the implementation of the
policy, and the city will conduct a “regular” review of language access
needs for people in Worcester.</p><p>However, the biggest substantive
change may be in the contracting of Ascentria Care Alliance to do
translation work for the city. City staff can call the Ascentria
“language bank” and get an interpreter on the phone immediately, or set
up an appointment for an interpreter onsite within 48 hours.</p><p>The
city is “making every effort” making use of Google Translate to get
online forms and documents translated from English into Spanish,
Portuguese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Albanian, French, Polish, Arabic,
Nepali and Twi, an African language.</p><p>“The city will make every
effort to provide written translation of vital documents for each
eligible LEP language group that constitutes five percent or 1,000,
whichever is less, of the population of persons eligible to be served or
likely to be affected or encountered,” the policy reads, although if
the five percent mark results in fewer than 50 people affected the city
only needs to provide notice that oral translation is available.</p><p>Vital
documents are defined as ones where denial or delay of access could
have serious or life-threatening implications for a person, and could
include consent or complaints forms, intake forms, notices of
eligibility criteria or denial, loss or decrease in services, notices
advertising language assistance and applications of a program or
service.</p><p>“Worcester resettles the largest number of refugees in
the state and has a large, diverse foreign born population,” Executive
Director and Co-founder of the African Community Education program Kaska
Yawo said in the same release. “While Worcester has welcomed these
newcomers to the community, it can be extremely difficult for them to
access crucial city programs, services and information, which are
necessary for them to become stable and acclimated.”</p><p><br></p><a href="http://worcestermag.com/2016/01/26/new-policy-aims-to-open-city-government-to-limited-english-speakers/39805">http://worcestermag.com/2016/01/26/new-policy-aims-to-open-city-government-to-limited-english-speakers/39805</a><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature">**************************************<br>N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to its members<br>and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal, and to write directly to the original sender of any offensive message. A copy of this may be forwarded to this list as well. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)<br><br>For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to <a href="https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/" target="_blank">https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/</a><br>listinfo/lgpolicy-list<br>*******************************************</div>
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