Welcome to the D.C. Language Access Coalition website!

Fourteen D.C. Public High School students of English as a second language (ESL) attended the City Council's budget hearing for DCPS on April 9. Three students - Lalaram Guyadin from Cardozo High School, Kirubel Hadgu of Wilson High School, and Sara Tenuer of Coolidge High School - and Lead Education Organizer, Mauricio Lopez testified to the importance of ESL programs, but the lack of resources that they face.

The Fair Budget Coalition and D.C. Jobs with Justice have been sponsoring a series of workshops aimed at building ties between Latinos and African American residents in D.C. The latest event in the initiative on Saturday, March 28, brought together community members to discuss the misconceptions that often cause rifts between these communities. Click here to read more.

A tragedy struck the APALRC and the D.C. Language Access Coalition over Valentine's Day weekend with the passing of our Director of Finance & Administration, Jose Palacios. Jose was young and hard working, a quiet and steady advocate to the cause whose jovial, good-natured laugh will be sorely missed. His passing was totally unexpected. See information on the viewing and funeral mass here.

The D.C. Language Access Coalition is getting ready to launch its program of Student Multiethnic Action Research Teams (SMART). SMART is a program that engages youth enrolled in D.C. Public Schools and Public Charter Schools in community organizing in the hope of nurturing emerging leaders, enhancing language access in the schools, and increasing college promotion rates. Information about the program is available in various languages in the applications below. Learn More.

The first language access complaint filed by the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center triggered an historic ruling against the MPD requiring the agency to take several concrete steps over the next three months to train staff members and implement a language access plan. The complaint was filed on behalf of Jong Yeol Lee, a Korean-speaking man who was mistakenly arrested and incarceration in Virginia and D.C. for several days without access to an interpreter.

The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights recently released the results of its compliance review of the Metropolitan Police Department's language access services. Click here to read the results of the report.

The basis of the Coalition's work with youth enrolled in the D.C. education system lies in the belief that organized students and parents enhance the quality of education. A recent preview of an Annenberg Institute study on education organizing entitled "Organized Communities, Stronger Schools" emphasizes the important role that organized communities play in shaping education outcomes in their schools. Click here to read the report.

The Coalition continues to grow!! On behalf of the Coalition membership, we would like to extend a warm welcome to the newest members of the Coalition family: CitiWide Computer Training Center and the Telling Stories Project of Teaching for Change. Welcome!!

On September 29, 2008 the Coalition issued a letter to Councilmember Catania urging him to seriously consider ways to support language access services, especially interpretation services, for District residents seeking healthcare and treatment at community based healthcare organizations.

The Coalition would like to take a moment to recognize Patrick Coonan and Pooja Regmi for their recent participation in two fall conferences: The Schweitzer Fellows for Life and the MCASA/MNADV Conferences. Patrick is the Research and Documentation VISTA at the D.C. Language Access Coalition and Pooja Regmi is Staff Attorney at the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center. Continue reading by clicking here.