Improving Language Access in Federal Programs: What Is the State of Play?
This event reviewed the Biden administration's language access provision efforts and explored opportunities to improve the provision of information and services in languages other than English in federal programs.
Providing meaningful access to public services for individuals with limited proficiency in English is both a longstanding civil-rights requirement for federal programs and an important policy consideration given growing linguistic diversity in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic brought language access to the forefront by demonstrating the necessity of providing critical government services and information to individuals who speak languages other than English. Hand in hand with this growing visibility, recent years have also seen the expansion of federal, state, and local government efforts to develop and improve language access policies and programs.
The Biden administration engaged in a number of efforts to foster greater language access across federal programs. This involved government-wide initiatives that included language access as part of advancing equity for underserved populations, supporting newcomers’ integration, and better addressing the needs of ethnic or immigrant communities with large numbers of speakers of languages other than English. In the Biden administration, individual federal agencies expanded their efforts to improve language access in their services and ensure state and local programs receiving federal funding did so as well.
This webinar from MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy explored executive-branch efforts related to language access provision. White House and Department of Health and Human Services officials and a leading language access advocate provided an overview of the various strands of the Biden administration’s work and discussed actions connected to language access. The webinar provided insights into the challenges and opportunities in this area and explored options to foster greater language access in federal programs.
Speakers:
Amber Greene, Special Assistant to the President for Racial and Economic Justice, White House Domestic Policy Council
Melanie Fontes Rainer, Director, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Ben D’Avanzo, Senior Health Policy Strategist, National Immigration Law Center
Moderator:
Margie McHugh, Director, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, MPI
About the National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy
The Center is a national hub connecting policymakers, educators, community leaders, and service providers with evidence-informed policy research, technical assistance, and data to advance effective immigrant integration at U.S., state, and local levels.
About the White House Task Force on New Americans project
Drawing on a strong body of work, NCIIP submitted recommendations covering language access, integration, early childhood education, K-12 education, and adult education and workforce development for the White House Task Force on New Americans relaunched in 2023.
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Amber Greene
Melanie Fontes Rainer
Ben D’Avanzo
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