Bilingual Volunteers

CONNECTING THE DOTs

Contents

Editor-in-Chief: Lynn Araki-Regan

Managing Editor:

Rae Nguyen

Copy Editors:

Juli Chun Daniel Garcia

Column Writers:

Jade Butay Rey Domingo Melanie Martin Darren Cantrill

Contributors:

Rex Akutagawa Shelly Kunishige Randall Landry Carter Luke Cy Duvauchelle Diana Lopera Maaza Mekuria Pasha

Kapalama Container Terminal ................ 1

Bilingual Volunteers .................................2

Message from Director ........................... 3

Administration ......................................... 4

Airports ..................................................... 6

Harbors ..................................................... 8

Highways .................................................10

Climate Ready Hawaii .......................... 14

Arrivals & Departures .......................... 15

Call for Bilingual Employee Volunteers By: Randall Landry

In a multicultural and demographically diverse state like Hawai’i, the need for language interpretation and provision of language access services remains ever-constant. Providing language access services to members of the public requesting them is both a legal requirement and a practical obligation when providing public services or managing government programs. As set forth in Presidential Executive Order 13166 and codified in state law in Section 321C of the Hawai’i Revised Statutes, in a nutshell, state agencies must provide language access services on request and plan for such needs accordingly. Each agency also needs to have an appointed language access coordinator. For us at HDOT, and as you have likely seen from my occasional emails, that’s me! And, hat in hand and with all respect to all the hard work everyone at HDOT does, I humbly request your time and attention to consider being a volunteer bilingual employee.

What does this mean for you, if you do volunteer? You would not be expected to be the first line in handling any and all incoming language interpretation requests – the state has access to a master contract establishing over-the-phone interpretation services on demand. Instead, you will be called in the event that, say, the phone lines are down or an immediate emergency is occurring. Even with this in mind, you as a potential volunteer should discuss these responsibilities with your supervisor and ensure there will not be any concerns or issues with volunteering.

If you would like to volunteer as a bilingual employee for the Hawai’i DOT bilingual employee directory, please do so via the online form found HERE or, if you do not have access to this link or reading a hard copy of this month’s newsletter, speak to your supervisor or manager with email and internet access to obtain a hard copy of the form to fill out and submit. As always, if you have any questions for me with regards to language access requirements and services, or require assistance in obtaining a copy of the volunteer bilingual employee form, email randall.t.landry@hawaii.gov or call (808) 831-7921.