Advocacy for Language Access

This course focuses on access and advocacy issues related to people with limited English proficiency. The lessons provide the opportunity to critically analyze how your current advocacy practices address the experiences and challenges of living as an immigrant or refugee. Additionally, this course offers practical tools that will increase survivors’ ability to access services and receive effective advocacy from your organization. 

Completing this course constitutes 8 self-study hours.

Part I: Culture, the law, and planning 

Advocates can benefit from exploring issues related to definining Limited English Proficiency (LEP), legal protections for LEP people, and the need for planning so LEP survivors have access to advocacy. 

• Review the following slides to learn about the connections between language and culture when working with LEP people:
  • Defining LEP
  • Language barriers
  • Culture and language in domestic violence advocacy
• Learn how the law can protect LEP people.
• Read about language access in the courts.
• Review the following slides and resources to help you plan ahead to ensure LEP survivors have access to advocacy:
  • How to Plan so LEP Survivors Have Access to Advocacy
  • Inside-Out: Strengthening Advocacy and Services for Refugee, Immigrant, and Limited English Proficient Survivors is a planning tool for your organization to take practical steps to strengthening advocacy for immigrant survivors.
  • How Will LEP Survivors Get Assistance?
• Consult these guides:
  • How to Communicate with a Non Native English Speaker
  • Reducing Language Barriers to Combating Domestic Violence: The Requirements of Title VI
  • Language Access Assessment and Planning Tool for Federally Conducted and Federally Assisted Programs
• Additional tips and resources:
  • Language identification flash cards
  • LEP.gov
  • Culture Handbook by Sujata Warrier
  • Washington State Coalition for Language Access

Part II: Policies, procedures, and advocate stories 

Consider how a protocol for helping LEP people, along with advocates’ stories, may inform your advocacy. 

• Review this  Model Protocol on Services for Limited English Proficient Immigrant and Refugee Victims of Domestic Violence.
• Read Crossing Borders: A Collection of Advocates’ Stories.
• Answer the following questions to reflect on your learning:
  1. If you learned anything new from reading these articles, what was the most interesting new concept or information? 
  2. Did these articles give you new ideas that you can put into practice? If so, what? 
  3. If you serve as an administrator or director for your organization, did you learn enough from the resources to design or update your organization’s Language Access Plan? 
  4. If your answer to question #3 is yes, how do you imagine being able to move forward? 
  5. If your answer to #3 is no, what obstacles do you face to developing a Language Access Plan? 

Part III: Experiential exercise 

Gather a group of your coworkers to review the Federal Language Access Assessment Tool and WSCADV’s Model Protocol on Services for LEP Immigrant and Refugee Victims of Domestic Violence.

• Discuss the possibility of using the information in these documents to update your organization’s policies and procedures.
• Plan the next steps that you could take toward creating a new or updated Language Access Plan.
• Consider the following questions in your discussion:
  1. What information did you and your coworkers find most useful in the assessment tool and model protocol?
  2. What is working well when it comes to language access at your organization?
  3. What are your biggest challenges when it comes to language access at your organization?