Summer 2000 OCR UPdate - 11
Promising Practices in Language Access
States interested in understanding how they can meet the language needs of diverse language minority popula- tions may want to take a close look at Washington. Washington's immigrant population is the 10th largest in the country, and the state has made a major commitment to ensure that its public benefit programs are accessible to all limited English proficient (LEP) applicants and recipients.
To ensure adequate interpreter services, the Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) has developed and implemented a state-wide procedure for recruiting and hiring bilingual staff. Bilingual staff are hired when the number of LEP applicants/recipients sharing the same language served by an eligibility worker equals or exceeds 50 percent of the average case load of an eligibility worker. DSHS also uses contractors and a telephone language line to meet language needs that can not be met by bilingual staff. DSHS provides training to interpreters and bilingual staff and has developed a testing and certification program to determine competency.
Equally important, DSHS ensures that LEP clients receive all written notices and other major written communications in their own language. DSHS currently translates, and makes available on a routine basis, all notices and other major communications into seven "supported" languages: Chinese, Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, Russian, Korean and Spanish. This is two more than is required by state law. In addition to these seven "supported" languages, DSHS has entered into contracts to enable them to translate written notices and major written communications into another 86 languages on an "as needed" basis. In any given month, DSHS contractors translate about 3,500 - 4,000 documents into 60 - 70 different "unsupported" languages. If DSHS is unable to translate a written notice or major written communication into an unsupported language in a timely manner (defined as three days), the communication is sent to the client in English with a notice, in the client's primary language, that DSHS was unable to provide a timely translation and the client may take the notice to a local office for oral translation.
According to Jason Reed, the state's Limited English Proficient Program Manager, the cost of providing written translations in the "unsupported" languages ranges between $50,000 - $70,000 per month. While this may be viewed as costly by some, Reed says it's an important investment. "It's all about making sure the people we serve have equal access to our programs."
DSHS continues to work to improve its services. For example, it is looking into adding another 10 - 15 languages to the list of "supported" languages, thereby eliminating delay and controlling some costs for "as needed" translations. It is also focusing on quality and improving its interpreter testing and certification program.
Notably, OCR's Seattle (Region X) Office, as well as Columbia Legal Services (formerly Evergreen Legal Services) have played and continue to play important roles in supporting the development and refinement of DSHS' LEP programs. In 1983, and again in 1987, DSHS entered into voluntary compliance agreements with OCR that laid the framework for its current service delivery system. In 1991, DSHS entered into a Consent Decree with Columbia Legal Services that ensured additional system improvements. Over the years, OCR, Columbia Legal Services, other advocacy organizations and DSHS have worked collaboratively to realize a shared vision—the results are impressive!
More information can be obtained by contacting the State of Washington through its internet site: http://www.dshs.wa.gov. Alternatively, you can contact OCR's regional office in Seattle.
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