Language Rights Are Human Rights: Exciting Initiatives to Overcome Language and Access Barriers
Research Session
Wednesday, June 17, 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. MDT
Location: Interlocken D
The United States is home to a rich tapestry of multicultural populations. Despite a commitment to serve the whole community, historically there have been deep challenges in ensuring that emergency messages and preparedness resources are received, understood, and acted upon by people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). New collaborative initiatives to deliver emergency information in languages other than English are being rolled out to meet new legislative requirements and ensure more inclusive emergency communication. This panel will introduce new public and private outreach projects and research initiatives in Oregon, North Carolina, and the San Francisco Bay Area, where a landmark California law now mandates new requirements for local emergency response services that issue multilingual emergency information. These local initiatives and legal shifts represent a promising step towards advancing equity and resilience for our nation’s multifaceted, often hard-to-reach communities.
