WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor is marking the 24th anniversary of Executive Order 13166 – which requires the federal government to improve access to services and programs for persons with limited English proficiency – and affirming its commitment to improving communication accessibility for all workers.
President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13166 on Aug. 11, 2000, “to improve access to federally conducted and federally assisted programs and activities for persons who, as a result of national origin, are limited in their English proficiency.”
In November 2023, the department announced the release of its updated Language Access Plan, which included the establishment of the Centralized Office of Language Assistance in the Department’s Civil Rights Center. The announcement was a response to a 2022 memorandum from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland urging federal agencies to improve communication accessibility, including by revising their language access plans in alignment with Executive Order 13166, “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency.”
Since the release of the updated Language Access Plan and the establishment of the Centralized Office of Language Assistance, the department has continued to make improvements to communication accessibility, including through the following:
- Translating vital materials and information into additional languages and developing outreach and engagement strategies for connecting with communities representing individuals with limited English proficiency.
- Translating Worker.gov, Employer.gov and MigrantWorker.gov into additional languages including Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Tagalog and Vietnamese, among other languages.
- Continuing interpretation services in over 170 languages through the National Contact Center to ensure it responds to individuals in their preferred languages.
- Providing resources and guidance to the department’s agencies to improve access for non-English speaking workers and those with limited English proficiency.
- Working with the department’s office and agencies on enhancing their own language access plans tailored to agency missions and programs.
The department is dedicated to ensuring our programs, and the programs we fund, remain open to all, regardless of a person’s English proficiency. Together with over 40 federal agencies, the department has prioritized implementing effective policies and procedures to eliminate language barriers to its programs and the programs it funds.
In the coming year, the department will continue to engage with its partners on the Federal Language Access Working Group, led by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. As a member of the working group, the department will learn and share information about conducting effective language access staff training; recruiting, assessing, hiring, and retaining multilingual staff; contracting for qualified translators and interpreters; and using technology to deliver accurate and reliable language assistance services. Through this unified approach, the department seeks to fulfill the promise of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 13166 in preventing discrimination and ensuring equal treatment under the law.
Information about the updated Language Access Plan, along with more information about the Civil Rights Center, and its initiatives to support non-English-speaking individuals, can be found on CRC’s website and at LEP.gov.
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