Communications and Administrative Regulations
Providing LEP access is not only good customer service, it is also required by federal civil-rights laws. As a recipient of federal funds, WSDA must take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to LEP people.
What does LEP mean? It means a person has a limited ability to speak, read, write or understand English. They may be able to speak English and understand it in some informal settings, but are limited in areas such as reading and writing, or understanding legal or technical language. It can also mean that a person self-identifies as LEP and asks for interpretation or translation assistance.
Plan and policy
An agency workgroup with representatives from the Communications Office, Human Resources and Administrative Regulations has been collaborating on efforts to improve WSDA’s communication with Limited English Proficient (LEP) people. The group is working to develop an LEP plan and policy.
Some of the key elements of the LEP plan include:
- Agency goals for improved LEP communication, both written and verbal.
- Guidance for programs to identify vital documents.
- Expectations for programs to translate vital documents.
- Commitment to providing interpretation service when needed.
- Use of bilingual staff.
The LEP policy has not yet been adopted. The current draft would direct staff to follow the LEP plan as generally described above. It would authorize program managers to set the amount of language services provided, and it commits that WSDA will not charge customers or the public for language services. The draft policy would also create an LEP committee to monitor, assess and adjust the agency’s language activities.
Programs will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft policy and plan before adoption. The schedule to complete the plan and policy was originally set for this summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted some of this work.
Over-the-phone language service
WSDA took a big step in recent weeks by choosing a new vendor to provide over-the-phone language interpretation services. Driven by a law change, the state established master contracts with new vendors and WSDA has identified Lionbridge as our primary service provider for phone-based language interpretation.
As we transition to working with Lionbridge, training materials on how to use these services will be made available, including online training and webinars. Also, for your convenience, the vendor will provide wallet cards with the call-in number for service, and a space to add your program’s fund code.
Lionbridge offers 24/7 service by qualified, certified interpreters. No more hunting around for a bilingual colleague if you find yourself speaking with an LEP customer.
While Spanish will likely be the primary language we need, they offer access to hundreds of languages that can be interpreted. Expect to see more detailed information regarding this service in the coming weeks.
In summary: Providing access to agency information and services in languages other than English is good customer services. It is also required by federal law. WSDA is taking steps to improve our communications with all customers and the public.
