Language Access

In response to the unprecedented growth in the size and diversity of New York City’s immigrant population – half of all New Yorkers speak a language other than English at home, and almost one-sixth of all City households have difficult speaking English – Legal Services NYC created its Language Access Project in 2007. Its priorities are to increase our capacity to serve Limited English Proficient (LEP) clients and to engage in legal advocacy challenging the language barriers that LEP clients face in getting benefits, services and access to justice.

Recent Language Access News:

Justice Speaks 2010 Survey: Courthouse Accessibility for LEP New Yorkers  

Language Help for City's Immigrants Falls Short  

Testimony of Legal Support Unit Language Access Project Attorney Mia Unger before the New York City Housing Authority re: Language Access Services for Section 8 recipients 6/30/10 (PDF)

LS-NYC Files Lawsuit Challenging Widespread Civil Rights Violations at Welfare Centers

In 2007 the Language Access Project released the report, Translation Woes: Language Barriers at New York City’s Human Resources Administration, about difficulties their clients face in accessing benefits at the Human Resources Administration (HRA) when they need language assistance services. Key findings of the report include:

• 66% of HRA offices (46 out of 69 surveyed offices) did not provide translated applications in the six most commonly spoken languages in New York City, despite the fact that they have been centrally translated;
• 15% (10 out of 69) of offices did not produce any translated applications at all;
• 18% (13 out of 69) of offices did not even have applications in Spanish, a language spoken by nearly two million New Yorkers;
• Fewer than two-thirds (44 out of 69) offices surveyed said an interpreter or bilingual worker would be available as mandated by federal, state and local laws and regulations;
• 26% (18 out of 69) offices told us that a limited English proficient individual would have to come back or wait for an interpreter or bilingual worker.

Click HERE to read the full report.

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