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Lacey commissioners review draft language-access plan and approve rollout of on-demand interpretation tools
Summary
City staff presented a draft Language Access Plan and demonstrated a new on-demand video and audio interpretation app, posters and iPads for city point-of-contact staff. Commissioners asked about translation priorities, bilingual hiring and funding; executive assistants will serve as language-access coordinators to manage requests.
City of Lacey staff presented a draft Language Access Plan to the Commission on Equity and described immediate steps to expand interpretation services across city departments.
The draft plan, staff said, is intended to bring the city into compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by improving “meaningful access” for people with limited English proficiency. Veronica, the equity and inclusion program staff member who led the presentation, said, “we finally have our language access plan…if you have a chance to review it in the next coming days and send me any comments.”
Why this matters: staff said the plan will standardize interpretation and translation across departments, provide on-demand video American Sign Language (ASL) and hundreds of spoken languages, and create a central dashboard to track demand. Commissioners pressed for details on who will be prioritized for translated “vital documents,” how bilingual employees are recognized in hiring, and how the effort will be funded.
What staff described: the city has contracted for a vendor app (LanguageLine…
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