Language Access: All Activity
U.S. states and localities are increasingly enacting policies to make sure that language barriers do not prevent people from accessing government information and services, boosting service effectiveness and the ability to connect with residents. This report examines this trend, and the role of state and local policies against the backdrop of a changing federal policy landscape.
Immigrants comprise 15 percent of Connecticut’s population, and nearly 30 percent of children in the state are part of immigrant families. Having driven all state population and workforce growth over the last 15 years, immigrants are an important part of Connecticut’s present and its future. This report examines state policies and systems that aim to support upward mobility for all families, highlighting ways in which they could better meet the needs of low-income immigrant families.
Language barriers create challenges not only for individuals with limited proficiency in English but also for state and local governments that need to be able to effectively communicate with all members of the communities they serve. This report offers one of the first in-depth examinations of how U.S. states, counties, and cities have designed and implemented language access measures to address these challenges.
In its first 100 days, the Trump administration has issued a flurry of actions that represent the most sweeping immigration policy changes in decades, reshaping enforcement, border security, legal immigration, humanitarian protection, and foreign policy. This article provides an overview of the myriad changes in the first 100 days of the second Trump term and assesses the challenges ahead.
Ensuring people with limited proficiency in English can access government services for which they qualify and receive important public information is critical to the effectiveness and accessibility of state programs. This report analyzes the state of language access measures in Colorado state agencies and identifies opportunities to strengthen these efforts.
Ensuring that individuals with limited English proficiency have access to information and services in federally funded programs has long been a requirement. But providing effective language access, such as through translation and interpreting, remains an unmet goal and demands new strategies. This policy brief offers some next-generation solutions to achieve a mandate that is more than a half century old.
Credit cards, bank accounts, and other financial services are often critical in order to fully participate in the modern world. Yet many refugees and other forced migrants have trouble obtaining these seemingly simple tools, preventing them from full integration. This article outlines humanitarian migrants’ needs for financial services and the barriers that can arise.
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Shifting Priorities: How the Official English Executive Order Could Affect Language Access Efforts