OFFICE OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATIONS ACCESS (OLCA):

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Jeniffer Vivar Wong, Director

Robbie Adams, Learning & Development Coordinator

The Mayor’s Office of Language and Communications Access

Equity and Inclusion Cabinet

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TRAINING ENVIRONMENT

• Please keep yourself muted during the training.

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• We will save questions to the end but please feel free to put them in the chat.

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• Introduce yourself (update name on Zoom)

TRAINING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this training, you should be able to:

• Define how your department should work with LCA to provide equitable language and communications access to constituents.
• Identify language standards for any future events or communication your department might host in the future.
• Determine a training plan for the frontline staff in your department.

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OVERVIEW OF OLCA

• Who we are.
• What we do.
• Who we serve.

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WHO WE ARE

LCA STAFF

LCA LIAISONS

DEPARTMENTS & THEIR STAFF

BOSTON COMMUNITY

5 FTE

4 Fellows

Municipal Network

Point person and content expert to support Departments Heads and support LCA policy implementation

LCA provides guidance and resources but we do not have interpreters and translators on staff

Individuals

Community & Advocacy Groups

Ethnic Media

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Mayor Michelle Wu

AIMING FOR ACCESSIBILITY

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Mayor Michelle Wu

“Designing for difference”

Meet identified need to provide “access”

All experiences and interactions are the same

MISSION STATEMENT

The Office of Language and Communication Access (OLCA) strives to empower speakers of all languages and communication abilities to receive the full spectrum of services offered by the City of Boston and play a critical centralized role in decision making.

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OLCA does this by training staff on providing accessible services to all constituents, assisting departments with budgeting for accommodations and ensuring city-wide implementation & compliance with Boston’s Language and Communications Access ordinance.

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Mayor Michelle Wu

LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH (LOTE)

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Any person whose primary language is not English and has varying abilities in speaking, reading, writing or understanding English.

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Mayor Michelle Wu

Mayor Michelle Wu

DISABILITY

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“The ADA defines a person with a disability as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. This includes people who have a record of such an impairment, even if they do not currently have a disability. It also includes individuals who do not have a disability but are regarded as having a disability. The ADA also makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person based on that person’s association with a person with a disability.”

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We also acknowledge the importance of the “social model of disability” which “recognizes the social origin of disability in a society geared by, and for, non-disabled people”.

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A disability can be:

• Acquired
• Temporary
• Progressive

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Mayor Michelle Wu

Mayor Michelle Wu

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WHO WE SERVE

• 16.9% of Boston residents aged 5 and older (approx. 110,376 people) speak a language other than English at home and are LOTE.

• 12% of Boston residents (approx. 80,836 people) identify as having at least one disability.

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Our demographic data reports for Language and Disability show the data from the 2016-2020 American Community Survey, Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS), BPDA Research Division Analysis

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Mayor Michelle Wu

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LEGISLATIVE OVERVIEW

FEDERAL

• Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title II
• Federal Executive Order 13166 (2000)
• “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency”

CITY OF BOSTON

• 2008 Executive Order
• 2016 Ordinance -> Newly Amended 2021 Language and Communications Access Ordinance
• Persons who use languages other than English (LOTE)
• Persons with disabilities
• City’s VCA with HUD

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Mayor Michelle Wu

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LCA POLICY AND ORDINANCE

The Language and Communication Access Policy (LCAP) and Language and Communications Access Ordinance which outline the requirements the City will comply with provide access to LOTE individuals and persons with a disability.

• All COB departments, programs, services and activities must be accessible to individuals who speak Languages Other Than English (LOTE) and persons with disabilities.
• Provide translation, interpretation, and assistive technology to City created events, programs, information and documents.

Mayor Michelle Wu

TYPES OF ACCOMMODATIONS

interpretation

• the act of listening to a communication in one language and converting it to another while retaining the same meaning (including ASL) �

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translation

• the replacement of a communication from one language into an equivalent written text in another language�

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assistive technology

• any item, equipment or product system used to increase, maintain or improve a person’s functional capability

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Mayor Michelle Wu

LANGUAGE STANDARDS

• City-wide vs Neighborhood
• Vital Documents Standards

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THRESHOLD LANGUAGES

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WHAT ARE THRESHOLD LANGUAGES?

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Refers to any language spoken by individuals of the Language Other Than English population totalling 5% of the population or 1000 individuals, whichever is less, within the City of Boston.

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* From the Official Language and Communications Access Policy - City of Boston

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Mayor Michelle Wu

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CITY-WIDE INTERACTIONS

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If the interaction is planned for citywide participation or is purposed to be accessible to constituents across all neighborhoods. Departments must include on advertisements or invitations, a notice in the City-wide threshold languages, informing people that they can request interpretation services in advance, and how.

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1. Spanish (Latin American)
2. Simplified Chinese
3. Haitian Creole
4. Vietnamese
5. Cabo Verdean Creole

6. Portuguese (Brazilian)

7. Russian

8. Arabic (Standard)

9. French (European)

10. Somali

Mayor Michelle Wu

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NEIGHBORHOOD INTERACTIONS

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The City must provide interpretation and translation for Neighborhood Threshold Languages.

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• Allston Chinese
• Back Bay none
• Beacon Hill none
• Brighton Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese
• Charlestown none
• Chinatown Chinese
• Dorchester Spanish, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Cabo Verdean Creole
• Downtown Chinese
• East Boston Spanish
• Fenway-Kenmore Chinese
• Hyde Park Spanish, Haitian Creole

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• Jamaica Plain Spanish
• Mattapan Spanish, Haitian Creole
• Mission Hill-Longwood Spanish
• North End none
• Roslindale Spanish
• Roxbury Spanish, Haitian Creole, Cabo Verdean Creole
• South Boston Spanish
• South Boston Waterfront/Fort Point none
• South End Spanish, Chinese
• West End none
• West Roxbury Haitian Creole

Mayor Michelle Wu

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VITAL DOCUMENTS STANDARDS

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Vital documents and information within a department must be translated into the following City-wide Threshold Languages. Vital documents that are not translated due to financial constraints, must include a Babel Notice

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1. Spanish (Latin American)
2. Simplified Chinese
3. Haitian Creole
4. Vietnamese
5. Cabo Verdean Creole

6. Portuguese (Brazilian)

7. Russian

8. Arabic (Standard)

9. French (European)

10. Somali

Mayor Michelle Wu

LCA RESOURCES - FOLDER FOR CITY OF BOSTON DEPARTMENTS

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TRAINING STAFF

• Role of Liaisons
• Key Resources available

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ROLE OF A LIAISON

The LCA liaison plays a key role in providing equitable language access:

• They are aware of upcoming trainings for departmental staff and new resources
• They have a clear understanding of processes for acquiring translation, how to finalize an interpreter for an event, what the pricing quote range is, what threshold languages need to be addressed, etc.- and would be the direct point of contact at the LCA to ensure the process is quick and efficient.
• They understand their department’s common requirements, events, and communications and be able to factor accessibility resources into them.
• They will be the point person to take complaints that come in as the department.

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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING ADVANCED LCA 101 TRAININGS

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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING LCA 101 TRAINING SESSIONS FOR FRONT LINE STAFF

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LCA RESOURCES ON THE HUB

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KEY RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Did you know about these resources?

• Language Line
• Video Remote Interpretation (VRI)
• Stand-up Language ID Card (for front-facing staff or at the front desk)
• Mobile Version of ID Cards
• Multilingual Staff Registry
• Language Volunteer pool
• Assistive Listening Rooms

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It is crucial that City Staff understand these resources, they could be very helpful to constituents. Therefore, we encourage you to plan ahead and schedule training for staff, especially those in the frontlines.

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Mayor Michelle Wu

WHY WE DO THIS THIS WORK?

POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF INADEQUATE LANGUAGE ACCESS FOR CONSTITUENTS:

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• Loss of service or goods
• Incurred fees
• Loss of confidence in City services
• Better communication leads to better understanding by the public
• Worst Case: Death or Illness

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Mayor Michelle Wu

NEXT STEPS

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NEXT STEPS AS LISTED IN THE LCA MEMO:

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In addition to these responsibilities, departments will also be responsible for:

• Creating Departmental Plans (based on template plan provided by LCA)

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• Updating their list of Vital Documents (Vital documents are those that are essential for constituents to understand about your department’s services/programs OR documents that may impact a constituent’s safety, health or finances).

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• Creating a Data Mechanism for tracking LCA funding, requests, and services provided.

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ANY QUESTIONS?

• Any questions, comments or concerns?
• Are there any accessibility stories you would like to share?
• Do you have any experiences with issues that arose at citywide events that you would like to discuss?

Thank you for your time and attention!

Please be sure to join our upcoming On-Demand Interpretation Training (details to come in the near future).

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ThankYou

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Questions?

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Jeniffer Vivar-Wong, Interim Director (She, Hers, Ella) ; Voice: 617-635-1171 (Español, English) jeniffer.vivarwong@boston.gov

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Gayana Daniel, Community Outreach Coordinator (She, Her, Hers); 617-635-3414; gayana.daniel@boston.gov

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Robbie Adams, Learning and Development Coordinator (She, Her, Hers); Voice: 617-635-4167; robbie.adams@boston.gov/ deborah.adams@boston.gov

Mayor Michelle Wu