Diaspora – Language Access Act 2004
OAA stands for and represents The Office on African Affairs, which is committed to ensuring that African citizens are able to take full advantage of The DC Language Access Act of 2004.
The objective of the DC Language Access Act of 2004 is to offer superior access to District government platforms and services for people who may not speak, read, write and/or understand the English language and for those who have Limited English Proficiency (LEP).
There are 25 agencies identified by name in the Act that are obligated to do the following:
- To collect data on the languages spoken by the Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Non-English Proficient (NEP) constituent populations they serve and encounter, or are likely to serve and encounter;
- To assess the need for and offer oral language services;
- To provide written translation of vital documents into any non-English language spoken by an LEP/NEP population that constitutes 3 percent or 500 individuals, whichever is fewer, of the population, served or encountered, or likely to be served or encountered by the covered entity.
In partnership with the Office of Human Rights (OHR), OAA will join forces and consult with the Language Access Director (LAD), and the covered bodies in their efforts to grow, update and monitor the implementation of Language Action Plans pursuant to both the provisions found in the LAA and the scope of the mandates of their respective offices. As a result, OAA will support, assist, and guide the participating covered entities, the LAD, and OHR in the following areas:
- Data collection
- Outreach
- Quality control
- The hiring of bilingual Public Contact Positions (PCPs)
- Develop cultural competency trainings
If you have any information for the African community and would like to get people involved, visit www.AfricansConnect.com to connect with other members regarding African affairs. You may also send your information to inquiry@informafrica.com to have it publish it on their website, and on popular social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
