Create a Language Access Plan 4

A Language Access Plan (LAP) is a document that strategically outlines how to ensure that your organization effectively communicates with non-native English speakers. Creating a plan will equip your organization with a roadmap for increasing language access for both your employees and clientele. Each plan is unique to its organization though there are certain elements (listed below) that are often present in all plans. Insights from the organizational checklist in Step 2 should be included in your LAP. Templates and examples of LAPs can be found in the Resources section on page 13.

Language Access Plan

Policy Overview

Define who the Language Access Coordinator will be State the organization's purpose for adopting the Language Access Plan State your policy for working with non-native English speakers

Organizational Checklist Insights

Client information Policies & Procedures Available Trainings

Develop policies and procedures

Language Services

Procedures

Notices

Points of Contact Level of Interaction

State information regarding use of interpretation services State information regarding use of translation services

Clearly explain the procedures that staff, volunteers, or interns should follow when requesting & utilizing each language service (interpretation or translation services)

Describe how the organization will inform their clientele of available language services and rights to those services

Examples may include signage, taglines, and "I speak " cards

Describe how the organization will train staff on its policies and procedures for providing language assistance services Include who will be trained and how often

Provide guidelines for how staff, volunteers, interns, and clientele can provide feedback regarding the LAP components

Provide plans for when and how the organization will monitor and update their LAP, policies, and procedures for continuous quality improvement and to ensure that all needs are met

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Language access is a fluid process that has no true end point. It involves building and sustaining multilingual environments in our organizations. Therefore, as our community continues to grow and change, it is important to continuously evaluate organizational efforts and assess where there is opportunity to grow. Part of this process should include inviting regular feedback from staff and community members, and assessing the efficiencies and successes created by implementing your LAP so that it can be updated to match new goals. It is helpful to use your LAP as a framework for the components that should be reviewed annually. Below are some helpful questions/topics to help begin brainstorming elements for review.

Organizational Overview

Current non-native English speaker population in service area

Frequency of encounters with non-native English speakers as clients

Outcomes of implementing certain policies & practices

Client Satisfaction

How important was it to non-native English speakers that language activities/services were offered in their native language?

Availability of language resources and ease of access

Solicit feedback regarding actual experiences of accessing the organization's benefits, programs, information, or services

Employee

Whether staff know and understand the Language Access Plan and how to implement it

How often staff use language assistance services

Whether staff believe any changes should be made in the way services are provided or providers being used