Printable Version Email to a Friend Neighbors' Consejo's La Casa Resident Support Committee More information on coalitions and public outreach

Nonprofits that are primarily dedicated to service delivery but also engage in advocacy often face the challenge of organizing populations unaccustomed to participation in the political process. Mobilization of these highly underrepresented groups into effective agents for policy change can be aided through collaboration with like-minded organizations. The DC Language Access Coalition - whose member organizations serve mainly low-income immigrants with little-to-no English skills - convinced the District of Columbia (DC) government to pass the Language Access Act, which requires all DC government agencies to develop and provide language services for DC's non-English speaking populations. The Coalition successfully wrote itself into the law to monitor implementation, ensuring that their legislative victory translates into real changes in people's lives.

Motivating Conditions for the Coalition

The Washington, DC metropolitan area has the nation's seventh largest immigrant population, with over 800,000 counted in the 2000 Census. In the greater Washington region, 21 percent of residents speak a language other than English at home; in the District this number is approximately 17 percent, or one in six people. This preponderance of non-English speakers creates challenges for residents and government agencies alike in obtaining and providing access to services. For instance, foreign-born residents may call 911 for an emergency but then have a difficult time explaining the situation because they are learning English. Children often interpret for their parents in the neighborhood public health clinic, tenant court, or at the Dept. of Motor Vehicles.

To address these and other problems, in 2002 a group of community organizations formed the Language Access Coalition to look for solutions to improve DC services for residents who speak languages other than English. The coalition sought ways for the D.C. government to fulfill its obligations under Title VI of the federal 1964 Civil Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination based on national origin, including language discrimination. According to Title VI, all public agencies receiving federal funds must provide interpretation and translation services in order for people who do not speak English well to be able to participate in public services.

A Partnership of Community, Service Providers and Experts

The Language Access Coalition is comprised of over 20 organizations representing Latino, African, and Asian communities. Several of these organizations see political empowerment as an important element of the client services they provide. Marnie Brady, Advocacy & Community Building Director at Neighbors' Consejo, which serves homeless, addicted, and low-income men and women, notes that "we have a full-time staff member - me - dedicated to involving the people we serve in policy change in the District." She elaborates, explaining that "our issue areas are identified based on our service areas, as well as issues raised by clients. We want people to act as self-advocates, and we believe that the most effective change comes from people directly affected."

The coalition provided its members with the opportunity to multiply the power of their voices on issues of ongoing concern. Isabel Van Isschot, Interpretive Services Program Director at La Clinica del Pueblo, a Latino free medical clinic, explains that "we've been providing interpretive services for years because there is a real need - 90% of our patients don't speak English sufficiently well to communicate with their physician." Van Isschot had long been working to convince the DC Department of Health to comply with the Title VI mandate for language access, and saw joining the Language Access Coalition as the perfect opportunity to move forward with her efforts.

George Wu, Language Access Coalition Coordinator at the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, stresses the diverse nature of the coalition as a factor in its success. Its members include community organizations comprised of people in need of language access services, social service providers, attorneys and others, with "all the individual parts working together." Their long term goals reach beyond the language access program to include capacity building for community organizations.

Campaign for Passage

The coalition found a champion for their proposal on the City Council, who agreed to sponsor the bill. For two years, the Coalition organizations worked with community members and with each other to educate the public and the Council on the need for language access services. Community members helped collect stories of abuse (rude government officials, refusal to provide translators, etc.) that illustrated the need for change. Community members also testified about their experiences at public hearings, providing City Council members with compelling reasons for taking action. The coalition also:

• held public education meetings throughout the District,
• coordinated the mailing of thousands of postcards to the City Council,
• provided testimony at a series of City Council hearings, and
• held several press conferences.

Alex Taylor del Cid, Research and Policy Director at the Council of Latino Agencies, said these actions were critical to the Coalition's success: "We can't expect the government to do something for us without putting pressure on the government - and this is best accomplished by coming together as a coalition. Councilman Graham [the bill's sponsor, representing Ward 1] has long been open and supportive to concerns of immigrants, but the community was critical to helping the government realize that this needed to happen." The joint efforts paid off. In April 2004, the City Council unanimously passed the DC Language Access Act, requiring each city agency to develop a plan for language services and allocating $1.26 million for implementation.

After Passage, A Continued Presence

The implementation plan in the law calls for the continued involvement of the Language Access Coalition. Wu explains that the "Coalition wrote itself into the law as an entity to monitor the implementation process because we have expertise in the relevant areas, as well as community trust." This official inclusion in the law's implementation is highly unique for an advocacy coalition. It greatly increases the likelihood that the Act will have the intended impact. Kimberly Berry of the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia observes that the "Coalition always recognized that having the law passed was just a means to an end, that it was just words on a piece of paper until it was implemented and enforced."

To fulfill its role in monitoring implementation, the Coalition has:

• reviewed the language access plans for over a dozen DC agencies
• drafted major portions of regulations
• advocated with specific agencies for expansion of services to immigrant communities, and
• facilitated discussions between government agencies and community-based organizations.

The Coalition's monitoring efforts revealed that many DC agencies were not in compliance with the law by the second half of the implementation period. This, combined with the fact that the Act contained few enforcement measures, the Coalition is now working to amend the law to strengthen enforcement. The Coalition has also recognized the importance of including the Office of Personnel in the Act. This office was not written into the original law, but it plays a key role in ensuring hiring decisions are made that support implementation of the law's intent.

Once more agencies are in compliance the Coalition plans an outreach effort to inform the community about the language access services. In the meantime, they are printing cards with a notice of the law's requirements in English and other languages that people can take when they go to city agencies for assistance.

Through this inclusion in implementation efforts, the Coalition enables community organizations and activists to share their needs with city officials, including updates about shifts in population and needs for additional officers, case workers, and interpreters to serve specific populations. This relationship helps ensure the maximum benefit is derived from the law, and that the 39,000 residents of DC who have limited English proficiency are guaranteed access to critical programs and services such as health care, food stamps, and job training programs.

An Expanding Immigrant Population: The Need for Ongoing Vigilance

Twenty years prior, there were slightly more than a quarter of a million foreign-born residents - both immigrants and refugees of various statuses - living in the region. This represents a tripling in size, or an increase of more than half a million immigrant residents between 1980 and 2000. Moreover, the Washington region contains a very unique mix of immigrant groups. Unlike many other metropolitan areas, no single group dominates the immigrant source countries in Washington. In 2000, 13 percent of the foreign born residents were from El Salvador, representing the largest group. The next three countries, from various parts of Asia - Korea, India, Vietnam - are between 4 and 6 percent each, followed by Mexico (4 percent) and China (3 percent).