Misson Statement
The D.C. Language Access Coalition is an alliance of community-based and civil rights organizations that advocates for language access rights within the District of Columbia.
Mayor Williams signing the D.C. Language Access Act of 2004 into law.
The D.C. Language Access Coalition's (Coalition) goal is to ensure that D.C. residents and workers who are limited English proficient (LEP) or non-English proficient (NEP) have equal access to the most essential government benefits and services including food stamps, Medicaid, health care, unemployment benefits, job training programs, public education, fire and emergency services, the police department and mental health services.
The Coalition is also committed to increasing the capacity and ability of under-represented immigrant communities to engage in social change efforts. We are also committed to strengthening the Coalition's ability to sustain ourselves over the long-term in order to tackle other access to justice issues impacting immigrant communities.
History
The D.C. Language Access Coalition is an alliance of 41 community-based and civil rights organizations that came together beginning in 2002 to ensure that all immigrants in the District of Columbia with limited or no-English proficiency (LEP/NEP) have access to public services, programs, and activities.
In 2002, the Coalition collaborated with D.C. City Council Member Jim Graham, the D.C. Office of Human Rights (OHR), the Office of Latino Affairs (OLA), the Office of Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OAPIA), the Office of African Affairs (OAA) and other community-based organizations (CBOs) to pass a comprehensive Language Access Act. The passage of the 2004 Language Access Act (the Act) represented a major victory for the Coalition and for LEP/NEP individuals in D.C.
The Coalition is named in the Act as a non-partisan, consultative third party organization that collaborates with the OHR, OLA, OAPIA, and other entities to monitor D.C. government agencies’ compliance and implementation of the Act. Currently, the Coalition’s work falls into four predominant areas: (1) building advocacy capacity, (2) advocating for language policy improvements with the D.C. government, (3) developing community outreach and education programs on language access, and (4) creating internal processes to enhance the Coalition’s capacity.
February 2003
- Collaborated with D.C. City Councilmember Jim Graham’s office to draft the Language Access Act, B15-0139, which he introduced to the D.C. Council with five Member Co-Sponsors.
April 2004
- Successfully advocated for Language Access Act, which passed on April 21, 2004
- Provide D.C. government agencies with constructive feedback on improving their Biennial Language Access Plans (BLAPs) for implementing the Act. Participate in language access initiatives throughout the district including the Access For All Committee of the Transportation Planning Board at Metropolitan Washington’s Council of Governments, Department of Employment Services’ Language Access Taskforce, and the Joint Advisory Council of the D.C. Public Schools.
August 2005
- Draft amendments to the Act, to augment the number of D.C. Agencies covered under the law, and strengthen enforcement provisions.
October 2005
- Testified and helped to organize over 50 public witnesses to testify at a D.C. City Council oversight hearing in October 2005. The testimonies highlighted for lawmakers the ongoing language barriers to government services still experienced by immigrant residents.
March 2006
- Provided support to the African immigrant community in the successful creation of the D.C. Office of African Affairs.
January 2007
- Hired a full-time organizer for the Coalition.
April 2007
- Testified at D.C. City Council budget hearings.
May 2007
- Established committee-based decision making structures and memoranda of understanding with Coalition members.
- Contributed to the U.S. Department of Justice language access audit of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
June 2007
- Negotiating draft regulations with the D.C. Office of Human Rights, which provide detailed guidance to district agencies on how to implement the Act's requirements.
- Presented on language rights at the United States Social Forum in Atlanta and conducted a multi-ethnic coalition building training at Tulane University.
Summer 2007
- Developed a 6-week youth organizing curricula piloted at Asian American LEAD, a coalition member
August 2007
- Secured 5 AmeriCorps*VISTA staff to advance the work of selected member organizations and the Coalition.
- Developed a 6-week youth organizing curricula piloted at Asian American LEAD, a coalition member.
October 2007
- Testified at an oversight hearing for Language Access Implementation. Provided a sign-on letter to Mayor Fenty and Office of Human Rights Director, Gustavo Velasquez, providing language access implementation recommendations. Over 65 organizations and individuals signed on in support.
- Collaborated with the Equal Rights Center (ERC) on helping them to acquire language access testers and to publicize the results of their test.
- Participated in a Know Your Language Rights video filmed by law students at American University’s Washington College of Law.
November 2007
- Provided a sign-on letter to Mayor Fenty and Office of Human Rights Director, Gustavo Velasquez providing language access implementation recommendations. Over 65 organizations and individuals signed on in support
March 2008
- The Coalition submitted final public comments to the Language Access Act Regulations which were finalized and promulgated in June 2008
- The Coalition was invited to participate in the First Hawai’i Conference on Language Access in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Provided monetary resources to Coalition members engaged in immigrant education to participate in a series of 6 focus groups to brainstorm an immigrant education organizing project in D.C.
June 2008
- The Coalition submitted a letter to D.C. City Council, the Mayor, OHR, the D.C. Constituent Offices, and Chancellor Rhee regarding the need for increase ESL (English as a Second Language) funding and classes
July 2008
- Coalition conducted it first series of Know Your Rights Trainings
August 2008
- The Coalition filed two informal language access complaints and Coalition member The Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center filed a formal language access complaint with the D.C. Office of Human Rights (OHR).
October 2008
- Connected with Robert Winn to work on documentary about Mount Pleasant fire and the effects of it on the LEP/NEP communities.
March 2009
- Organized ESL students to testify at budget hearing in April 2009, resulting in $4.5 mil budget increase for ESL
- The Coalition and our members actively testified at the recent round of D.C. agency budget and oversight hearings as well as reviewed and submitted comments to the new round of D.C. agency BLAPS (Biennial Language Access Plans
- The Coalition recently started a Housing Committee to work specifically on language access and housing issues that grew organically from the leadership of the Coalition members.
April 2009
- Youth met with Michelle Rhee to discuss issues with ESL education in DC
- The Coalition spoke at a Fair Housing Conference on April 28, 2009 sponsored by the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development
