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RESOURCES IN
CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE, POLICY AND PRACTICE
Items arranged in order
of publication date with the most recent on top. Scroll down for all entries. Selection does not necessarily imply endorsement
of findings or research methodology by Diversity Dynamics. Entries are divided into four broad categories:
Health Care Disability Services Policing and the Justice System
Social Services, Education, Emergency Preparedness, and Transportation | Because of cultural differences and language barriers, immigrants are often cut off from community support systems,
especially during the period of adjustment to American society. If government and private agencies are to fulfill their mission
of serving the entire community, efforts must be undertaken to reach out to immigrants and to deliver services in linguistically
and culturally appropriate ways. Without such accomodations, integration will be delayed, and the health and well being
of immigrants, as well as the native-born population, will be jeopardized. These resources discuss innovative
approaches to this challenge. |
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Cultural
and Linguistic Competence in Health Care
Implementation Guidance on Data Collection Standards for Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Primary Language, and
Disability Status,
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Minority Health, October, 2011, 10 pp.
After
a careful review, with more than 400 public comments on draft standards, HHS adopted final data standards for race,
ethnicity, sex, primary language and disability status. The new standards permit the collection and analysis of data about
ethnic groups within the broader Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islander populations. The standards are designed to reveal disparities
in health status among people in specific groups, whose conditions are often masked in current data collection practices,
and to facilitate the development of targeted interventions to reduce these disparities. The new standards were required
under Section 4302 of the Affordable Care Act. Addressing Health Disparities and Health Literacy Challenges in the South Asian Community:
Conference (October 9, 2010) Summary Report and Recommendations
South Asian Total Health Initiative, UMDNJ, and other sponsors, June, 2011, 28 pp.
This report provides detailed
summaries of all conference plenary and workshop sessions. The conference drew 126 participants, including 28 faculty members.
Plenary sessions dealt with the meaning and significance of health literacy in multicultural communities, the state of current
research on the subject of health disparities in South Asian communities, and innovative models for reaching these communities.
Three workshops focused on health disparities in diabetes, cancer, and tuberculosis. Another three workshops discussed innovative
strategies to address health disparities, including complementary and alternative medicine, chronic disease management, and
the development of multimedia solutions for health promotion. The report concludes with a series of recommendations relating
to policy planning and resource development, data collection and research, community education and professional training,
and networking and partnerships. Assuring Health Equity for Minority Persons with Disabilities: A Statement of Principles and
Recommendations,
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Advisory Committee on Minority Health (ACMH), July, 2011, 17
pp
This is the third in a series of reports by ACMH designed to ensure that health care reform responds to the
needs of vulnerable populations. While people with disabilities experience worse health outcomes than the general population,
the report finds that "minorities with disabilities are doubly burdened by their minority status." The report makes
five recommendations: first, raise awareness about the health inequities experiences by persons with disabilities, especially
minorities; second, improve care and treatment by devoting attention to "the culturally specific differences
among people with disabilities, and among subgroups of that population;" third, require cultural competency for
all health care providers and professionals; fourth, improve research and practice on disabilities in minority populations;
and fifth, strengthen the health care workforce to ensure high quality care for people with disabilities. Educating Clinicians About Cultural Competence and Disparities in Health and Health Care (Abstract Only),
Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 2011, 12 pp.
Authored by Robert C. Like,
Professor and Director of the Center for Healthy Families and Cultural Diversity, UMDNJ, this paper outlines the role that
the continuing medical education (CME) profession can play in reducing disparities in service access and health outcomes.
The paper reviews CME initiatives in cultural competency around the country, discusses the reaction of medical professionals
to them, and makes a series of thoughtful recommendations to improve their effectiveness. Among these recommendations are
the development of "a new type of ‘participatory CME' through active engagement and collaboration with patients,
consumers, and advocates as the ‘faculty experts'..." and greater use of social media to facilitate on-going communication
on cultural competency among medical professionals. National Standards for Healthcare Interpreter Training Programs,
National Council on Interpreting in Health Care, April, 2011, 38 pp.
The publication of
these standards culminates a two-year process, involving a review of existing training curricula, consultation with an expert
advisory committee, the convening of ten focus groups, and online surveys seeking feedback on draft standards. The standards
are intended to apply to all preparatory training programs regardless of their duration or sponsorship. They cover core content
to be mastered before an aspiring interpreter begins professional work in the field. More demanding areas of healthcare
interpreting, such as proficiency in simultaneous interpreting, are omitted from the standards because they may be addressed
in advanced training. In addition to content standards in such areas as modes of interpreting, message conversation,
and interpreting ethics, the document also outlines a set of recommended instructional strategies, as well as guidelines
for program design and operation. The Council recommends some flexibility in implementing the standards for speakers
of "languages of lesser diffusion."
National Immigration Policy and Access to Health Care: A Position Paper,
American College of Physicians (ACP), 2011, 18 pp.
Honoring medical ethics and mindful
of legal requirements under EMTALA (Emergency Treatment and Active Labor Act), the ACP -- the nation's largest medical specialty
society representing 130,000 internists -- developed this position paper to voice concerns over "unsustainable"
policies limiting immigrant access to health care. The College, for example, opposes provisions of the Affordable Care Act
barring undocumented immigrants from paying out-of-pocket for health insurance coverage. The College also opposes any effort
to require physicians to report on the legal status of their patients. The College also laments the low levels of insurance
coverage for the U.S. born children of immigrants, many of whose parents refrain from seeking coverage for their children
out of fear of possible deportation. Another issue of concern to ACP is the absence of testing for communicable diseases,
and low levels of vaccinations, among undocumented immigrants - gaps in the health care system that threaten the health status
of all Americans. Finally, ACP urges the federal government to strengthen the network of safety-net health care facilities
around the country that provide primary care for the poor and uninsured.
The Health of the Newest New Jerseyans: A Resource Guide,
Center for Health Statistics, Office of Policy & Strategic Planning, NJ Dept. of Health and Senior
Services, February, 2011, 72 pp.
This report provides detailed information on the health status of foreign-born
residents of New Jersey. With the exception of infectious disease and HIV/AIDS, where nativity data is lacking, the report
covers a wide array of illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, and provides incidence data both by
race/ethnicity and by nativity. Most comparisons are between native-born and foreign-born in broad racial/ethnic categories,
i.e. Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian. Health outcomes for specific national groups are not given, even though the report
notes that "each foreign-born group comes to the U.S. with its own health advantages and health disadvantages."
In general, "overall health outcomes for the foreign-born for many leading causes of mortality and morbidity are quite
favorable." However, the longer the period of residence in the United States, the more the foreign-born appear
to resemble the native-born. "As time spent in the United States increases, nativity differences in health diminish." Culturally Effective Care Toolkit
American Academy of Pediatrics, 2011, 22 pp.
The Academy describes this publication as a "practical,
hands-on resource to help practicing pediatricians and their office staff provide culturally effective care to their patients
and families." The toolkit provides short summaries of key issues, such as health beliefs and practices, nutritional
questions, child development and mental health norms, interpretive services, and health literacy. The toolkit includes a selected
listing of supplemental tools and resources in each area.
Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient-and Family-Centered Care:
A Roadmap for Hospitals,
The Joint Commission, August, 2010, 93 pp
This report culminates
a multi-year project of The Joint Commission to develop new accreditation standards for hospitals for addressing the language
and communication needs of diverse patient populations. This publication provides guidance to hospitals in complying with
the new standards. Each of six chapters covers a separate component on the continuum of care: admission, assessment,
treatment, end-of-life care, discharge and transfer, and organizational readiness. The report urges hospitals to "embed
effective communication, cultural competence, and patient- and family-centered care practices into (their) core activities,"
rather than viewing them as stand-alone initiatives. Copies of the old and new standards are included in the appendices to
the publication, along with explanations as to why particular standards were revised. The new standards were approved in December
2009 and released to the field in January 2010. They will be published in the 2011 hospital accreditation manual, initiating
a pilot implementation phase. Full implementation is expected to occur in 2012. DiversityRx has produced an informative webinar about the new standards.
The High Costs of Language Barriers in Medical Malpractice,
National Health Law Program & School of Public Health, University of California,
Berkeley, 2010, 21 pp.
This study analyzed 35 closed claims of medical malpractice based
on inadequate language assistance. The claims were against a single insurer operating in four states in the West. All
claims were adjudicated between 2005 and 2009. Major themes in the cases included the following: "failure to provide
competent oral interpretation; failure to provide written translations of important documents, e.g. informed consent forms
and discharge instructions; inadequate documentation; and allegations of discrimination." The insurance carrier
paid out over $5 million in damages, settlements, and legal fees on the 35 cases.
What's in a Word? A Guide to Understanding Interpreting and Translation in Health Care,
National Health Law Program in cooperation with NCIHC and ATA, April, 2010, 27 pp.
This guide is designed to clarify the differences and commonalities between interpreting and translation, to identify
the skill sets required for each, to identify standards of practice, to review progress towards national certification, to
define the role and functions of the interpreter and translator, and to summarize the modes and methods of interpreting and
translation. A final section of the guide discusses procedures for hiring interpreters and translators.
Confronting Inequities in Latino Health Care, Special Issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine,
Abstracts and links to in-depth news releases on each article,
October, 2009, 4 pp.
An important theme of this series of articles
is that the country of birth and immigration status of Latinos affect the quality of health care they receive in the
U.S. The nine studies examine topics such as rates of hypertension, diabetes, health insurance coverage, discrimination, quality
of care, and spiritual beliefs. Predictably, lack of insurance and undocumented status are associated with poor health outcomes.
The authors argue for attention to the needs of the Latino population in the current health care reform debate.
Moving to the Land of Milk and Cookies: Obesity among the Children of Immigrants,
Migration Policy Institute,
Sept., 2009, 8 pp
Based on a federal longitudinal study of 21,000 children from kindergarten to 8th grade, 25% of
whom were children of immigrants, this study concludes that children of immigrants are a high-risk group for obesity, and
that poverty doesn’t fully explain their vulnerability. Obesity cuts across all socio-economic levels, but tends to
be higher among boys, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites. By 8th grade, 49% of immigrant boys were obese or overweight, compared
to 33% of native-born. The authors speculate as to causes, e.g. "many immigrants originate from countries in which food
insecurity and stunting pose significant health risks to children, so they may be unaccustomed to protecting children from
the opposite problem that comes from overeating."
The Health and Cognitive Growth of Latino Toddlers: At Risk or Immigrant Paradox?
Bruce Fuller et al, Maternal and Child Health Journal,
June 25, 2009, 14 pp.
Looking primarily at Mexican immigrant mothers, most living in households earning $25,000
or less annually and with limited educational backgrounds, the authors of this study explore the causes and consequences of
"the immigrant paradox," i.e. the fact that Mexican and other Latino immigrant newborns display robust birth weight
and low mortality compared to whites and African-Americans. The study finds that these early advantages do not persist
over time. Instead, these children at 24 months of age display higher rates of obesity and asthma and lagging cognitive development.
These results have important implications for federal policy makers interested in designing effective intervention strategies.
State Practices in Health Coverage for Immigrants: A Report for New Jersey,
Rutgers Center for State Health Policy, June, 2009, 29 pp.
This report surveys the landscape of health coverage for immigrants in New Jersey. Although New Jersey provides more
public coverage and safety net programs for immigrants than most other states, New Jersey appears to lag behind other states
with large immigrant populations in its outreach and enrollment success. The report contains descriptions of outreach strategies
employed in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York, and concludes that "culturally-attuned outreach efforts
and improved enrollment processes" will be "critical factors in the success of any public program to cover immigrants
and their children." An earlier CSHP reportprovided esimates of children and parents without health insurance in New Jersey, including non-citizens.
NJ FamilyCare Outreach, Enrollment and Retention Report,
Submitted by the Outreach, Enrollment and Retention Working Group in Response to the
New Jersey Health Care Reform Act of 2008, NJ Office of the Child Advocate, May, 2009, 32 pp + appendices
Created under a provision of the NJ Health Care Reform Act of 2008, this Working Group was charged with developing
a plan to improve outreach to low and moderate income families eligible to participate in NJ FamilyCare. One of the subcommittees
of the Working Group examined the challenge of "Overcoming Barriers to Immigrant and Minority Access"
(OBIMA). The report contains numerous recommendations, either building on existing initiatives or employing new approaches
based on successful outreach strategies used in other states. The report also emphasizes collaboration among various
departments of state government, such as the Department of Education which tracks the location of limited English
proficient students in local school districts, and urges expanded use of incentives to community-based organizations to enroll
uninsured individuals.
Improving Access to Language Services in Health Care: A Look at National and State Efforts,
Policy Brief, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., April, 2009, 10 pp.
This policy brief
focuses on the three states that have been most active in legislating access to language services in health care: California,
Minnesota, and New York. The authors discuss the history and scope of various legislative initiatives in those states. They
also identify key challenges facing states and stakeholders seeking to develop language services, including setting up information
technology systems to support the collection and management of data on primary language, promoting appropriate use of language
services by clinical staff, ensuring the quality of language services, and developing payment mechanisms for language services.
The State of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health in California Report,
A report from the California Asian Pacific Islander Joint Legislative Caucus, Prepared by the University
of California Asian American Pacific Islander Policy Multi-Campus Research Program, Health Work Group, April, 2009, 67 pp.
By disaggregating California's Asian American Pacific Islander group, comprising over 14% of the state's population,
into some of its many ethnic sub-groups, and investigating the health characteristics of each group, this report sheds important
light on the health needs of particular communities and appropriate policy responses to those needs. Koreans and Vietnamese,
for example, have uninsured rates higher than the state average. Filipinos have high obesity and smoking rates. Childhood
asthma rates are highest among South Asians. Vietnamese experience mental distress at higher rates than other groups. The
authors urge further efforts to disaggregate other communities, particularly the South Asian category, into Indian, Pakistani,
Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan sub-groups.
Hablamos Juntos, April 2009 This series of 7 short publications outline the requirements for effective document translation, a process often
approached haphazardly and without full understanding of its complexity. Tool One (Getting Started with Translations in Health Care) lays out the basic steps in the process, cautions against
use of unqualified bilingual staff as translators, and emphasizes the importance of document meaning, context and purpose,
as opposed to "word-for-word replacement operations." Tool Three (Developing the Translation Brief: Why and How) describes how to provide formal instructions for the translator,
based in part on an analysis of potential "source culture bias" in the original document. Tool Six (Assessing Translation - A Manual for Requesters) outlines a tested procedure for evaluating the
quality of translations.
A Comprehensive Framework and Preferred Practices for Measuring and Reporting Cultural
Competency,
National Quality Forum, April, 2009, Public Version, 11 pp.
In an attempt to "bring the cultural competency movement to the next level," the National Quality Forum
(NQF), a broad-based coalition of stakeholders in the healthcare industry dedicated to the definition and measurement of quality
care, has produced this "comprehensive framework – a road map – for measuring and reporting cultural competency."
The framework consists of four guiding principles, and 45 endorsed practices within seven domains: leadership, integration
into management systems and operations, patient-provider communication, care delivery and supporting mechanisms, workforce
diversity and training, community engagement, and data collection. The framework is intended for all healthcare organizations,
but has applicability to the broader human service field. The significance of this document is that NQF standards become the primary standards used to measure the quality of healthcare in the United States. Full report
is available by purchase only.
Webinars on Language Access in Health Care,
Polyglot Systems, 2008-2009.
A for-profit language technology provider for health care organizations, Polyglot Systems has produced
a series of five free webinars on the subject of language access for hospital patients. Each webinar features national experts
in the field. Among the topics covered are: language and cultural barriers in health care: a growing crisis (September
18, 2008), leveraging data to improve the quality and availability of language services (November 18, 2008), using technology
to improve language access (December 9, 2008), the Prolingua platform for hospital admissions and patient instructions (January
9, 2009), and funding sources for language services (April 1, 2009). Undocumented Immigrants in New Jersey's State and County Psychiatric Hospitals,
New Jersey Department of the Public Advocate, February, 2009,
11 pp.
This report examines the plight of 55 undocumented
immigrants in state psychiatric hospitals, deemed medically ready for release into less costly residential health care facilities
but who cannot be placed into such facilities because of their lack of eligibility for federal benefits. In some instances,
patients were in (or eligible for) legal status at one time, but lacked the capacity to file the necessary legal papers. Among
the recommendation in this report are the assignment of staff to work exclusively with this population and the possible establishment
of a state-funded community placement option for such patients, which might prove more cost effective than prolonged hospital
stays.
Robert Like, MD, et al, "Educating
Physicians to Provide Culturally Competent, Patient-Centered Care,"
Perspectives
(New Jersey Association of Family Physicians), Summer, 2008, 11 pp. In
2005, the New Jersey legislature passed a law requiring all physicians to complete cultural competency training as a condition
of re-licensure and mandating the inclusion of such training in the curriculum of New Jersey medical schools. This article
reviews the requirements of the law, as well as related legislation elsewhere in the United States One of the six required
New Jersey training areas deals with techniques for overcoming language barriers, including best practices in working
with interpreters. The article features a extensive listing of web-based continuing education and professional development
courses in cultural competence in health care.
Based on research conducted
at 60 hospitals in the United States, this report recommends a common planning framework to address the growing
linguistic and cultural diversity of hospital patients. The report argues that planning must be on-going and that solutions
must be tailored to the needs and circumstances of individual hospitals.
Serving Patients with Limited English Proficiency: Results of a Community Health
Center Survey,
National Association of Community Health Centers
(NACHC), June 16, 2008, 19 pp.
Representing over 1,150 community
health centers in the United States, NACHC undertook a survey of its membership to determine the extent to which limited English
proficient patients are served by local centers and the range of techniques used to bridge the language gap. Among other things,
the report found that one in every three patients seen in local centers is LEP, and that 74% of centers use bilingual
nonclinical staff, 59% use bilingual clinical staff, 47% use staff interpreters, 27% use telephonic and/or video services,
and 15% use external language agencies.
Hospitals, Language, and Culture: A Snapshot of the Nation,
The Joint Commission, 2007, 107 pp.
This report analyzes how 60 selected hospitals around the country are providing health
care to culturally and linguistically diverse patients and offers recommendations for improving hospital responsiveness
to this patient population.
Language Services Resource Guide for Health Care Providers,
National Health Law Program, October, 2006, 186
pp.
This useful guide contains state-by-state listings of
language service associations, providers, and trainers. It also includes a directory of web-based health information resources
in foreign languages. Other sections cover assessment tools and signage.
Certification of Health Care Interpreters in the United States: A Primer, a Status
Report and Considerations for National Certification,
The California Endowment, September, 2006, 95
pp.
Author Cynthia E. Road compares and contrasts nine different
existing certification programs for health care interpreters, as well as the eight state certification programs that were
in various stages of development at the time of publication. She also explains the various strategies for providing quality
assurance in interpreting, of which certification (assessment) is only one part. These strategies include appropriate recruiting,
language screening, training, monitoring, and continuing education.
Globalization, Migration Health, and Educational Preparation for Transnational Medical
Encounters,
Peter H. Koehn, Global Health 2006 2:2
This article argues for a new paradigm in medical
training called “transnational competence (TC).” Noting that more than 700 million people cross
international borders every year, whether as visitors, businesspersons, or immigrants, the author argues that the quality
of health care, as well as the success of disease prevention efforts, hinge on the ability to identify “ the special
circumstances that surround and define each individual’s health.” According to the author,
TC as a model is preferable to traditional culture-competence education, which tends to reify cultural
characteristics within particular groups, ignoring intra-group variations, as well as differences of class,
generation, experience, and education. The author proposes a far-reaching set of reforms in medical school education designed
to prepare a new generation of medical students for “ethnically and socially discordant clinical encounters.”
Straight Talk: Model Hospital Policies and Procedures on Language Access,
California Health Care Safety Net Institute, 2005,
61 pp.
Drawing on the expertise of "best practices" hospitals
around the country, the California Health Care Safety Net Institute, the educational and research affiliate of the California
Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, issued this set of model policies and procedures on language access to
guide its membership.
The Interpreter's World Tour: An Environmental Scan of Standards of Practice
for Interpreters,
Publication of The California Endowment
for the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care, March, 2005, 44 pp.
As part of an effort to draft a national code of ethics for interpreters in health care, this project reviewed
145 standards documents in 11 languages from 25 countries, including 36 U.S. states. The scan was inclusive of all fields
of interpreting. The scan uncovered both similarities and contradictions in these documents.
Bridging the Cultural Divide in Health Care Settings: The Essential Role of Cultural
Broker Programs,
National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown
University Center for Child and Human Development, Spring/Summer 2004, 39 pp.
Defining cultural brokering as "the act of bridging, linking, or mediating between groups or persons
of different cultural backgrounds for the purpose of reducing conflict or producing change," this report spells out the
four primary functions of cultural brokers (liaisons, cultural guides, mediators, and catalysts for change) and the many
contexts in which they work. Most cultural brokers assume multiple roles and may not work exclusively as cultural brokers.
Cultural brokers, for example, may be health care professionals, social workers, or community members. They may work at community
health centers, hospitals, government offices, community-based organizations, or religious institutions. The report features
numerous case examples of successful cultural brokering initiatives. The authors also see cultural brokering as an "essential"
to the reduction of health disparities for racial and ethnic populations.
Language Access: Helping Non-English Speakers Navigate Health and Human Services,
National Conference of State Legislatures, January,
2003, 24 pp.
As the U.S. population has become more diverse,
language has emerged as a critical factor in health care access and quality. This report indicates that the language gap can
lead to delays in or denial of service, unnecessary tests, more costly or invasive treatment of disease, racial or ethnic
disparities in insurance, and other problems. The report surveys the demographic landscape and current governmental efforts
to address language access, focusing on four states that are using federal matching payments from Medicaid and SCHIP to pay
for language interpretation. The report also outlines "next step" options for states and the federal government.
Health Care Access for Immigrants and Refugees: A Guide to Understanding Eligibility
for Health Care in New Jersey,
New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, 2001,
62 pp.
This guide was designed to help health outreach workers
and immigrant advocates in New Jersey to understand the sometimes intricate rules surrounding immigrant eligibility for health
benefits, especially in the aftermath of the 1996 welfare reform legislation.
National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health
Care,
Final Report, Office of Minority Health, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, March,
2001, 132 pp.
In 1997, the Office of Minority Health (OMH) began a study and consultation
process leading to the publication of this standard-setting document four years later. A prime motivation for this project
was widespread dissatisfaction with the earlier patchwork of standards that often left health care providers without clear
guidance as to what constitutes culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS). OMH consulted with numerous stakeholders
in the field, and after publication of draft standards in the Federal Register, received comments from 413 individuals and
organizations. The standards were published in final form in 2000. The 14 standards are organized by themes: Culturally
Competent Care (1-3), Language Access Services (4-7), and Organizational Support for Cultural Competence (8-14). Part II of
the Report discusses each standard in detail, covering intent, supportive research, and implementation issues.
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Links
Cultural and Linguistic Competence
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Health Care
(For link descriptions, go to Links page)
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News and Opinion
Cultural
and Linguistic Competence
in Health Care
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Promising Practices in
Health Care
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Medical Language Interpretive Services,
Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA Video Medical Interpreting in a Rural Area,
Central Nebraska Area Health Education Center
The South Asian Total Healthcare Initiative,
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick,
NJ Therapy Program for Immigrant and Refugee Families,
Aurora Family Therapy Centre,
Winnipeg, Canada |
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Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Disability Services Systems Change for Greater Cultural Competence in the Pennsylvania Disability Service and Support Sector,
Diversity Dynamics, LLC, for the Pennsylvania Developmental Disabilities Council, 2011, 91 pp.
This report
concludes a two-year study of the responsiveness of the Pennsylvania disability service system to the needs and potential
of immigrants and other culturally diverse individuals with disabilities. Through the use of surveys, focus groups, structured
interviews, and a literature review, this report focuses on systems-level issues, traces the evolution of cultural competence
as a concept, creates a framework of core principles to guide system reform, identifies model practices both in Pennsylvania
and elsewhere in the country, and offers a series of recommendations for consideration by public and private entities in the
Commonwealth. The report devotes special attention to the newer cultural and linguistic groups that have settled in Pennsylvania
over the last 25 years. Do Cultural Competency Interventions Work? A Systematic Review on Improving Rehabilitation Outcomes
for Ethnically and Linguistically Diverse Individuals with Disabilities,
National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research, Technical Brief No. 31,
2011, 12 pp.
This brief reports on a systematic review of disability-related empirical research bearing upon
the efficacy of "cultural competency interventions." The team of nine researchers identified a total of 3,022 titles
and abstracts of potentially relevant studies published between 1980 and the present. Only 22 studies, however, met the rigorous
criteria for inclusion in the analysis, one of which was the use of control groups. Based on the analysis of these 22 studies,
the researchers conclude that "culturally adapted interventions do improve rehabilitation outcomes for minority and immigrant
individuals..." Disability and Displacement,
Special Issue of Forced Migration Review, July, 2010, 44 pp
This
issue is intended to address the neglect of disability among the world's 42 million displaced people. Twenty-six articles
examine conditions for people with disabilities in countries of origin or first asylum, such as Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and
Yemen, as well as their experiences and opportunities in countries of resettlement, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand,
and the United States. In part, the articles are designed to debunk the myth that there are few people with disabilities among
displaced populations and to challenge the notion that accommodations are too costly or difficult to implement in crisis situations.
The final article calls for the development of a "conclusion" (or consensus statement) on disability to provide
operational guidance to staff of the UN High Commissioner on Refugees
The Use of Culturally Adapted Competency Interventions to Improve Rehabilitation Service Outcomes
for Culturally Diverse Individuals with Disabilities,
National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research, November 2, 2009, 80 pp.
This review
of 3,022 research studies published between 1980 and 2009 seeks to understand whether "the cultural competency training
of rehabilitation providers translates into better outcomes for the clients or consumers of these services?" There
is ample evidence that such training improves the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of service providers, but few studies have
attempted to assess the actual impact of culturally competent interventions on individuals with disabilities. In fact, only
22 studies met the rigorous criteria, including use of randomized control trials, set by the authors of this report.
These studies, however, pointed to statistically significant outcomes in four of five outcome measures. The authors conclude
with a recommendation for additional evidence-based studies to test the efficacy of "specific training approaches and
conceptual models..."
The Rehabilitation Provider's Guide to Cultures of the Foreign-Born,
Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE), University of Buffalo, 2001-2008
The thirteen monographs in this series contain specific information about the cultural backgrounds of recent immigrants
in the U.S., with special attention given to how disability and rehabilitation are viewed in each culture. The monographs
cover the top ten countries of origin of the foreign-born population: Mexico, China, Philippines, India, Vietnam, Dominican
Republic, Korea, El Salvador, Jamaica, and Cuba. There are additional monographs on the culture of Haiti and the Muslim perspective.
Resource Guide for Serving Refugees with Disabilities,
United Sates Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, 2007, 139 pp.
This publication is intended
primarily for resettlement workers needing to understand the disability service system in order to make appropriate referrals
for recently arrived refugees. Content was developed based on input from focus groups and surveys. Sections include: a description
of the disability legal and service framework in the U.S., services for adults with disabilities, services for children with
disabilities, housing, assistive technology and other topics.
Latinos with Disabilities in the United States,
The World Institute on Disability, 2006, 51 pp.
Perhaps the first national overview of the situation
of Latinos with disabilities in the U.S., the report paints a bleak picture, finding "a strong reluctance to seek services"
among Latinos, coupled with "slowness" on the part of service organizations to use culturally competent practices.
Focusing primarily on vocational rehabilitation services, the authors discuss the cultural factors that impede access to services.
The report includes profiles of successful programs that are bridging the disability service system and the Latino community.
The report concludes with 13 "priorities for change," including "encourag(ing) diverse interpretations of independent
living....adopt(ing) effective outreach methods...integrating culturally appealing messages...and educat(ing) Latino community
leaders about disability issues."
Culturally Competent Disability Support: Putting It into Practice, A Review of the International and
Australian Literature on Cultural Competence,
Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of New South Wales, 2004, 99 pp.
This international literature
review focuses on individual practice and skills, as opposed to system and organizational change. The author discusses the
relationship between critical thinking, "scientific mindedness," ethnographic approaches and cultural competence,
and calls attention to the theme of "empowerment" which underpins much of the literature. A section of the report
discusses strategies for engaging families and ethnic communities in supporting individuals with disabilities. Finally, the
author cites examples of effective outreach efforts to ethnic communities, including messaging strategies and media selection.
The Rehabilitation Service provider as Culture Broker: Providing Culturally Competent Services
to Foreign Born Persons,
Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange, University of Buffalo, 2001, 50 pp.
This
monograph is offered as "a starting point to understanding and providing culturally sensitive care to foreign-born
consumers" in the rehabilitation service system. The authors identify and describe the range of skills involved in functioning
as an effective culture broker, present a three-stage intervention model, and recommend an assessment tool designed
to elicit cultural information. The authors assume that cultural brokers will work as members of the rehabilitation service
systems, rather than as outside advocates.
Disability and Access to Health and Support Services Among California's Immigrant Population,
UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, January, 2000, 49 pp.
This report examines rates of
disability and disability service utilization among California's immigrant population. Utilizing data from three supplements
of the National Health Interview Survey of 1994, the researchers find that adult immigrants "are less likely than U.S.
natives to report any activity limitation, difficulties in any activities of daily living (ADL's), difficulties in any instrumental
activities of daily living (IADL's), and any days in bed..." Taking note of the lower socioeconomic status and educational
levels of immigrants, the authors conclude that the so-called "epidemiological paradox" in health status, i.e. lower
mortality rates despite higher known risks for poor health, also applies to disabilities.
Lift Every Voice: Modernizing Disability Policies and Programs to Serve a Diverse Nation,
National Council on Disability (NCD), 1999, 137 pp
Noting that a "shameful wall
of exclusion" continues to exist for people with disabilities from diverse communities, the authors of this report update
an earlier 1993 NCD study on the plight of minority group members with disabilities. Informed by a public hearing in English,
Spanish, and Cantonese held in San Francisco, and other community forums in Atlanta and New Orleans, the report uses the testimony
of participants to highlight the multiple barriers faced by diverse people with disabilities. Among the problems noted in
the report is the tendency of some employers to practice "double discrimination" - not only showing reluctance to
hire persons with disabilities, but also being especially dismissive of disabled applicants with foreign accents. The report
also laments the small numbers of employees from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds employed in state and private disability
service organizations, and urges partnerships with organizations, such as religious organizations and community-based organizations,
that form part of the "internal social structure" of ethnic and minority communities. The report places great emphasis
on the importance of "culturally appropriate outreach" and urges federal agencies with responsibility for services
to people with disabilities to convene an interagency team to mount a "large-scale outreach and training program"
to inform community members of available supports and services.
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Administration on Developmental Disabilities, 2000 The term cultural competence means services, supports or other assistance that are conducted
or provided in a manner that is responsive to the beliefs, interpersonal styles, attitudes, language and behaviors of individuals
who are receiving services, and in a manner that has the greatest likelihood of ensuring their maximum participation in the
program.. |
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Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Policing and the
Justice System
The Paradox of Law Enforcement in Immigrant Communities: Does Tough Immigration Enforcement Undermine
Public Safety?
Columbia Law School, October 4, 2011, 31 pp.
Based on a telephone survey of 1,653 immigrants in New York City,
stratified by neighborhood location, socio-economic characteristics, and ethnicity, this study examines perceptions of the
criminal justice system within immigrant communities. The findings indicate that cooperation with the police is higher
in immigrant neighborhoods than in neighborhoods with a preponderance of native-born residents. Despite negative experiences
with the police in their home countries, "legal cynicism" tends to be lower in immigrant neighborhoods than in native-born
ones. However, ethnic heterogeneity within a particular neighborhood is negatively associated with trust in law enforcement
because "a resident may fear retaliation or retribution if he or she helps the police solve a crime committed by a member
of another group." The authors conclude with a discussion about how this surprising "normative compliance"
with the law could be undercut by "harsh enforcement" of immigration laws.
Insecure Communities: How an Immigration Enforcement Program Encourages Battered Women to Stay
Silent,
Boston College Third World Law Journal, 2011, 32 pp.
This article
argues that the Secure Communities Program of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deters immigrant victims of domestic
violence from reporting abuse to the police. According to the author, many immigrants have a "police-averse mentality"
to begin with; others are reluctant to report domestic violence to protect the reputation of the larger family; and still
others may feel constrained by an inability to communicate effectively in English. An undocumented woman with a documented
husband is especially vulnerable to abuse. The author recommends a three-step reform to reduce underreporting and protect
battered spouses: delay reporting to ICE until the perpetrator is convicted; limit the reporting requirement to felony charges
and misdemeanor convictions; and work with states and local authorities to publicize these changes within immigrant communities.
Public Safety Programs for the Immigrant Community: 17 Good Practices in U.S. Cities,
National League of Cities, Center for Research & Innovation, 2011, 46 pp.
This report provides short descriptions of model police outreach programs to immigrant populations in 17 U.S. cities
of diverse size and location, including contacts for additional information. Examples include the "Newcomer Meet
and Greets and Living Room Dialogues" of the Portland Police Department, the "Cambodian Community Liaison"
of the Lowell (MA) Police Department, the Latino and Asian Liaison Units of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department,
and soccer matches between police and community members in Newport News and Norfolk, Virginia. The report includes recommendations
for developing immigrant public safety programs in other cities.
Police and Immigration: How Chiefs Are Leading their Communities through
the Challenges,
Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), 2010, 72 pp
In the swirl of political cross-currents on the issue
of immigration enforcement, the judgments of police professionals often diverge from the opinions of politicians and pressure
groups. This report examines how six police departments are dealing with one of the most contentious issues in American life. During
2009, PERF researchers prepared case studies on the following police jurisdictions: New Haven (CT), Prince William County
(VA), Montgomery County (MD), Phoenix (AZ), Mesa (AZ), and Minneapolis (MN). PERF also convened a National Summit on Immigration
Enforcement in Phoenix in July, 2009, which helped to inform the conclusions in the report. With separate chapters devoted
to each of the six jurisdictions, the report highlights "lessons learned" in each community and "guiding principles
for dealing with immigration issues." A concluding chapter includes a set of recommendations for Congress and the
Obama administration, as well as a separate set of recommendations for local police agencies.
Assessing the Terrorist Threat
National Security Preparedness Group, Bipartisan Policy Center, September 10, 2010, 43 pp.
Co-chaired by former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, the National Security
Preparedness Group seeks to monitor progress in implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and to provide new
analyses and policy recommendations based on changing security needs. This report provides an overview of Jihadist activity
in 2009 in the United States and around the world and notes with alarm that Al-Qaeda and its allies "have been able to
accomplish the unthinkable - establishing at least an embryonic terrorist recruitment, radicalization, and operational infrastructure
in the United States with effects both at home and abroad." The authors note, however, that would-be American jihadists
"do not fit any particular ethnic, economic, educational, or social profile." Indeed, "diversification"
of the recruitment effort seems to be part of the Al-Qaeda strategy. Thirty percent of the 57 Americans who have been
charged or convicted of Islamic terrorism crimes since January of 2009 are Caucasian or African-American. At the same
time, there has been a considerable weakening of the operational and strategic capacity of Al-Qaeda and allied terrorist groups
around the world. The authors conclude by observing that Americans must maintain "resilience" in the face of future
attacks, which may be low-level in nature. "If any attack can succeed in generating significant political and economic
fallout, then there is a greater motivation for undertaking these attacks."
The Performance of 287(g) Agreements,
Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, March,
2010. 87 pp. including appendices
Pursuant to legislation passed by Congress in
2009, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) was asked to review the operation of 287(g) programs to ensure consistency with
legislative intent, proper supervision and training of local law enforcement officers, and compliance with memoranda of agreement
between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and local authorities. As of June of 2009, DHS had 66 active agreements
in 23 states involving 833 active officers. In FY 2008, these officers identified 33,831 aliens removed from the U.S.
during that year, representing 9.5% of all DHS removals. The OIG report, however, faults DHS for not adhering to its stated
intent of using the 287(g) program to arrest, detain, and remove criminal aliens. Other management shortcomings are also detailed.
The appendices include a copy of DHS's response to the 33 recommendations contained in the OIG report.
A Program in Flux: New Priorities and Implementation Challenges for 287(g),
Migration Policy Institute, March, 2010, 30 pp.
In
July of 2009, the Director of Homeland Security announced major changes to the 287(g) program, which permits state, county
and local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigrant law, under negotiated agreements with the federal government.
The purpose of the changes was to target enforcement activities on immigrants convicted of serious offenses or deemed a threat
to public safety, not those guilty of misdemeanors or immigration violations, and to give the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement agency (ICE) greater control over the enforcement operations of local jurisdictions. This report compares the
pre-2009 agreements with the new agreement, and identifies a series of questions that will guide researchers, as they undertake
an in-depth field study involving six to nine jurisdictions with 287(g) agreements. The study will assess whether the program
"advances its goals of promoting security, improving immigration enforcement, and protecting civil rights."
Fact Sheets: Language Access Problems among Government Bodies,
Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law, February, 2010.
Prepared on behalf of the National Language Access Advocates Network ("N-LAAN"), these fact sheets
find serious shortcomings in how the Department of Justice enforces compliance with Title VI requirements for language access
to federally-funded programs. The four reports cover state court systems, law enforcement agencies, immigrant courts, and
other federal executive agencies.
"We Want to Know What They Are Saying" A Multiagency Collaborative Effort to Address
Parental Language Barriers and Disproportionate Minority Contact,"
Vera Institute of Justice, November, 2009, 10 pp.
This report describes the approach and accomplishments of a multiagency collaborative work group striving
to facilitate the participation of limited English proficient parents in the juvenile and criminal justice system in New York
City. The initiative was designed to address the problem of disproportionate minority contact (DMC), or the over-representation
of African American and Latino youth in detention or correctional facilities. After conducting focus groups in English, Spanish,
and Chinese with ca 75 parents and young adults, the work group produced a 12-page multilingual informational resource in
plain language for distribution to community members. The resource is entitled, "Understanding the Maze: If Your Child has Contact with the Law."
Constitution on Ice: A Report on Immigration Home Raid Operations,
Immigration Justice Clinic, Benjamin N. Cardozo School
of Law at Yeshiva University, 2009, 38 pp
Utilizing records on ICE operations in the New York and New Jersey
area obtained under Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, this study is described by the authors as "the first public
document to collect and analyze the available evidence regarding the prevalence of constitutional violations occurring during
ICE home raids." Despite the goal of apprehending "high priority targets," e.g. immigrant gang members
and sex offenders, approximately two-thirds of arrests made under these operations are "collateral arrests of mere civil
immigration status violators." The authors are particularly sensitive to the impact of these efforts on local community
policing efforts, suggesting that "ICE home raid misconduct...undermines the traditional crime fighting mission
of local law enforcement agencies." The report contains a series of policy recommendations developed with assistance
from a six-member advisory panel chaired by Lawrence W. Mulvey, Chairman of the Nassau County Police Department in New York.
The Role of Local Police: Striking a Balance Between Immigration Enforcement and Civil
Liberties,
The Police Foundation, April, 2009, 256 pp.
This
year-long, groundbreaking study attempts to "give police a voice on (the) critical issue" of the proper role of
local police in immigration law enforcement. Based on focus groups with police officers around the country, the input of academic
experts, a survey of police officials, and a two-day conference in Washington, DC, in August, of 2008, this report concludes
that the "the costs of the 287(g) program outweigh the benefits." The study, however, goes beyond the controversial
287(g) program to examine the full range of collaboration between local police and federal immigration officials, including
the practice of checking the immigration status of noncitizens arrested for criminal violations, and the embedding of ICE
personnel within local police departments. The study finds that police officials are often subjected to intense political
pressure to "do something" about undocumented immigration, even when their understanding of the issues differs substantially
from majority opinion in the community. The report concludes with seven overarching recommendations, and features a series
of important studies that are included as appendices to the report, including an analysis of the rates of crime and imprisonment
associated with immigration and a study of the problems faced by undocumented youth transitioning to adulthood and lacking
legal work opportunities.
Crossing the Line: Damaging Immigration Enforcement Practices by New Jersey Police Following Attorney
General Law Enforcement Directive 2007-3,
The Center for Social Justice, Seton Hall University School of Law, April 2009, 31 pp.
Over a nine-month
period, this report documents 68 instances of New Jersey police referrals to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), when
only a minor offense or no offense was charged. These cases are broken down into four categories: traffic stops, passengers
in cars, stopping people on the street, and questioning of victims or witnesses. Noting the possibility of a serious undercount
of such referrals, and the frequency with which Latinos were targeted, the authors see "a disturbing trend toward racial
profiling by New Jersey police." The report recommends that the Attorney General directive, which attempted to
set ground rules for police reporting to ICE, "should be repealed or fundamentally revised."
Bridging the Language Divide: Promising Practices for
Law Enforcement,
Vera Institute of Justice, February, 2009, 64 pp.
With funding provided by the federal COPS office, Vera undertook a comprehensive
study of how local law enforcement agencies in the Unites States are addressing language barriers. Contacting more than 750
agencies, evaluating practices from nearly 200, and doing in-depth analyses of 25, Vera singled out six police jurisdictions
doing exemplary work: Boise, Las Vegas, Lexington, Nashville, Oklahoma City, and Storm Lake. The report shows how their
techniques illustrate eight promising practices in achieving effective language outreach. The report contains extensive
appendices with sample agency documents and resources.
Webinar: Bridging
the Language Divide: Promising Practices for Law Enforcement, Vera Institute of Justice, February 24, 2009
Representatives from three police agencies in communities of varying sizes
(Boise, Idaho; Lexington, Kentucky; and Storm Lake, Iowa), identified by Vera as leaders in the provision of culturally and
linguistically appropriate services, discuss their respective approaches: a Spanish language immersion program for police
officers in Lexington, the development of a community-wide interpreter bank in Boise; and the hiring of civilian bilingual
outreach workers in Storm Lake.
http://www.vera.org/cij/translating-multimedia.html
Immigration
Enforcement: Better Controls Needed over Program Authorizing State and Local Enforcement of Federal Immigration Laws,
General Accounting Office, January, 2009, 44 pp.
In
response to a congressional request to review the 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement entities to enter into
agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to participate in the enforcement of immigration laws, the
GAO undertook a performance audit of the program from September 2007 through January 2009. The GAO reviewed 29 of the
67 local law enforcement agencies participating in the program. The audit found major shortcomings in the management of the
program, including lax oversight and lack of clarity over program goals. Rather than ferreting out criminal
activity -- the ostensible purpose of the program -- 287(g) seems to be targeting individuals with minor violations,
such as traffic infractions. The GAO report concludes with five recommendations to improve the operation of the program.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09109.pdf?source=ra
The Need to Reconsider Attorney General Law Enforcement
Directive No. 2007-3, New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, October, 2008, 26 pp. On August 23, 2007, NJ Attorney General Anne Milgramt released a directive to local law enforcement agencies in New
Jersey desisgned to "establish the manner in which (they) shall interact with federal immigration authorities."
This report argues that the directive has undermined community policing, opened the door to abuses of local police authority,
and compromised protections against domestic violence. The report asks for major revisions in the directive to correct these
problems. http://demo.njipn.com/images//theneedtoreconsid%2340ec91.pdfMonitoring the Police: Opening the Process
to the Public, A Look at Monmouth County, Latino Leadership Alliance of NJ (Monmouth Chapter), National Latino Peace Officers
Association (NJ Chapter) and the Hispanic Directors Association of NJ, June, 2008, 8 pp.
This report discusses
the disposition of 705 citizen complaints against police departments in Monmouth County for the period 2001 to 2007. Most
departments were not in compliance with state reporting requirements and failed to discipline or prosecute at reasonable rates.
The report identifies departments showing best and worst practices, and concludes with ten recommendations to make the
police monitoring process more transparent and effective, with some attention to police relations with immigrant communities.
http://www.monmouthpolice.com/
Language of Inclusion: A Critical Look at Equal Access in the N.J. Court
System,
American Friends Service Committee, Immigrant Rights
Program, Summer, 2007, 14 pp.
Over the course of three summers (2005-2007), AFSC analyzed the extent of language
access in small claims courts in the five NJ counties with heavy immigrant populations. The study found that immigrants were
generally unaware of their right to free language services, key court documents were not translated into foreign language, and
that language services were generally not provided in pre-trial settings. The study highlighted best practices in several
vicinages and provided a set of recommendations to improve access, including better training for court personnel and more
effective use of county ombudsmen.
Police Chiefs Guide to Immigration Issues, International Association of Chiefs of Police, July, 2007, 47pp.
This publication is a useful
primer on immigration issues for police leaders in the United States. It covers issues as wide-ranging as day laborers, housing,
anti-immigrant groups, and human trafficking. Although the report refrains from issuing recommendations, especially on the
subject of police participation in immigration enforcement, it provides a useful framework for local decision-making on immigrant-related
issues. Overcoming Language Barriers: Solutions for Law Enforcement,
Vera Institute of Justice, March, 2007, 17 pp.
With immigration in the U.S. growing
and increasingly dispersed, many law enforcement practitioners are looking for ways to improve contact with people who cannot
speak or understand English well. This report was produced by Translating Justice, a technical assistance project sponsored
by the Vera Institute's Center on Immigration and Justice and three diverse law enforcement agencies-the Anaheim Police Department
in California, the Clark County Sheriff's Office in Ohio, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in Nevada.Attorneys General and the Protection of Immigrant Communities,
National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School, Memorandum,
January 12, 2007, 11 pp.
This document argues that immigrants
are "particularly exposed to predatory practices, abuse, and fraud" and that state attorneys general must focus
their attention on this growing and often vulnerable population. It gives examples of successful initiatives around the country
and details strategies that may be employed in the "emerging field" of immigrant protection services.
Nine Point Position Statement: Enforcement of Immigration
Laws by Local Police Agencies,
Major Cities Chiefs Association, June, 2006, 11 pp.
Representing 57 police jurisdictions in the United States and Canada with
populations of over 1.5 million, the Major Chiefs Associations produced this consensus position statement on the question
of local police enforcement of immigration laws. The statement enumerates several concerns with such a broadening of local
police power, including that of undermining the trust and cooperation of immigrant communities, and the diversion of police
resources away from normal police functions.
Justice
and Safety in America's Immigrant Communities, Princeton University, Policy Research Institute for the Region, 2006, 104 pp.
The report contains summaries and conclusions from
a series of three, all-day sessions devoted to the topic of improving relations between police and immigrant communities.
The project was conducted in collaboration with the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and the Vera Institute of Justice.
http://region.princeton.edu/media/pub/pub_main_30.pdf
Translating Justice: A Guide for New York City's Justice and Public
Safety Agencies to Improve Access for Residents with Limited English Proficiency,
Vera Institute of Justice, April, 2006, 27 pp.
This
guide provides an overview of language access needs and promising practices within New York City's justice agencies.
The guide also describes innovative approaches elsewhere in the country and overseas. The core of the report consists
of an analysis of various approaches, including the use of bilingual employees, professional interpreters, and emerging
technology. The guide concludes with suggested "next steps."
Building Strong Police-Immigrant Community Relations: Lessons from a New York City Project,
Vera Institute of Justice, August, 2005, 33 pp.
This report provides an account of a project in 2003-2004
to create a "regular forum for communication between police and immigrant communities," focusing on the Arab-American,
African, and emerging Latin-American communities. The report discusses outreach strategies, session content, and recommendations
for institutionalizing the initiative.
Equal Justice, Unequal Access: Immigrants and America's Legal System, Recommendations
for Action and Collaboration,
National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium, 2005, 43 pp.
The
combined effect of language barriers that prevent immigrants from seeking civil legal assisstance and the lack of linguistically
and culturally appropriate and accessible services creates the need for comprehensive reform in order to produce a more user-friendly
and efficient system. This report contains broad recommendations and proposes specific action steps to achieve this goal.Forcing Our Blues into Gray Areas: Local
Police and Federal Immigration Enforcement, A Legal Guide for Advocates, Appleseed, 2005, 34 pp.
This report
outlines the legal history behind local law enforcement of federal immigration laws and argues that such expansion of local
police authority makes fighting crime and terrorism more difficult.
http://appleseeds.net/servlet/GetArticleFile?articleFileId=177
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Links
Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Policing and the Justice System
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link descriptions, go to Links page) |
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News and Opinion
Cultural and Linguistic Competence
in
policing and the justice system
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Lynn's Immigrants and Police Share a Gulf, Language Barriers, Distrust Block Links,
The Boston Globe, September 25, 2009
Haitian Abuse Victims Seeking Help,
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, September 25, 2009
Police (Camden, NJ) to Address Fears.
Courier Post, August 31, 2009
Skokie Review, July 22, 2009
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Cultural and Linguistic Competence in General Social Services, Education, Emergency Preparedness, and Transportation
Limited English Proficient Individuals in the United States: Number, Share, Growth, and Linguistic Diversity,
Migration Policy Institute, December, 2011, 12 pp.
This Data Brief analyzes the 25.2 million individuals
in the United States over the age of 5 who are limited English proficient (LEP). Representing 8.7 % of the total U.S.
population, these individuals are concentrated in 13 states. The four states with the highest percentages are: California
(19.8 percent), Texas (14.4 percent), New York (13.5 percent), and New Jersey (12.5 percent). While Spanish-speakers
accounted for 65.8% of the total US LEP population in 2010, the proportion of Spanish-speakers varies by region, state, and
locality. Texas at 87.4 percent had the highest percentage while Montana and North Dakota at 20.8 percent had the lowest.
Other top languages nationally in 2010 were: Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Tagalog. Links to detailed companion charts
may be found in endnote 5 of the brief.
Shattered Families: the Perilous Intersection of
Immigration Enforcement and the Child Welfare System,
Applied Research Center,
November, 2011, 65 pp.
Increasingly, measures to detain and deport undocumented immigrants in the U.S. have
resulted in the forced separation of families, despite child welfare policies that make family preservation a
priority. There are at least 5,100 children in foster care today due to parental detention or deportation. This study examines
the impact of immigration enforcement on the child welfare system, using interviews, focus groups and analysis of qualitative
data. The study suggests several factors that have contributed to family separation and sometimes permanent termination of
parental rights: once children are taken into custody, ICE procedures, which lack due process, make it virtually impossible
for parents to comply with Child Protective Service guidelines for reunification; prejudice, poverty, lack of social services,
"unverifiable employment," inability to obtain driver's licenses, barriers faced by undocumented relatives in assuming
kin-care, and limited knowledge of immigration law on the part of officials and social service workers, contribute to
obstructing parent-child reunification. Findings also suggest that that the Secure Communities program enables local law enforcement
to subjectively and erroneously enforce federal immigration policy, despite policy directives to focus enforcement efforts
solely on criminal threats. The study concludes with a number of policy recommendations for state and federal lawmakers. (Dan
McNulty) Housing the City of Immigrants,
Community Service Society, March, 2011, 19 pp
One of the major conclusions
of this report is that housing conditions vary widely among immigrant groups, even when one controls for household income.
The researchers examined the degree of "housing stress" among specific immigrant communities using data from the
2008 New York City Housing and Vacancy survey. Housing stress is a composite of three factors: unaffordable rent burdens,
poor apartment conditions, and crowding. Different immigrant communities experience these stressors in different ways. For
example, immigrants from the former Soviet Union have the highest rent burdens, Mexicans are the most overcrowded, and Dominicans
occupy the highest percentage of apartments with violations. These patterns, according to the authors, lead to an important
conclusion: "that housing stressors don't just affect individual households; they affect communities" and
that advocacy groups must adjust their housing-related agendas to fit the particular circumstances of these communities.
Communication More for Less: Using Translation and Interpretation Technology to Serve
Limited English Proficient Individuals,
Migration Policy Institute (MPI), January, 2011, 25 pp.
This manual describes new forms of technology
that are lowering the cost of providing interpreting and translating services and expanding the range of language options
available to government agencies and human service organizations. Beyond Language Line, or telephone-based interpreting,
the author covers more recent innovations, such as video interpreting, interpreter network technology, and multiple listener
technology. The manual also reviews the pros and cons of technologies that dispense with third-parties altogether, including
automated interpreting and machine translation. Finally, the report discusses specialized software designed to manage interpretation
and translation projects within organizations. As the field is evolving quickly, MPI intends to update this "catalogue
of possibilities" on a regular basis.
Caught Between Systems: The Intersection of Immigration and Child Welfare Policies,
First Focus and the Migration and Child Welfare National Network, 2010
More than 5 million children living
in the United States today have at least one parent who is an undocumented immigrant. This publication is a collection of
three policy briefs examining the plight of these children as they come into contact with the child welfare system. Each brief
offers recommendations for policy changes and system reforms. The Impact of Immigration Enforcement on Child Welfare (12 pp) provides an overview of immigrant enforcement activities and the “unintended consequences for children and
families.” Public Benefits and Child Welfare Financing (9 pp) highlights the difficulties that immigrant parents, caretakers, and relatives face when their immigration status prevents
them from accessing critical public resources, court-mandated reunification services, or permanency options.
Language, Culture and Immigrant Relief Options (10 pp) observes that child welfare policies and practices often do not reflect the current demographics of the child population,
creating risks for children of immigrants within the system.
New Americans Initiative: 6-year Report,
State of Illinois, Department of Human Services, 2009, 65 pp.
In
2003, the Department of Human Services (DHS) of the State of Illinois, the largest agency providing and funding human services
in Illinois, with a budget of over $5 billion, launched a coordinated and systematic effort to make its services accessible
to limited English proficient individuals. In 2005, DHS contracted with a team of consultants from the Shriver National
Center on Poverty Law to interview executives and managers in each of DHS' six program divisions, examine current agency practices,
evaluating them against national "best practice" standards, and produce a report and set of recommendations that
became the basis of the agency's subsequent efforts to improve service accessibility. When the governor of Illinois
in 2005 decided to expand this work to other departments and agencies of state government, DHS became the model for the rest
of state government. This report summarizes the work that was accomplished by DHS over the course of the six years. The report
includes a number of useful appendices, including copies of departmental policy memoranda governing the provision of interpreting
services and the payment of a 5% salary differential for bilingual state employees, as well as a sample customer service plan
for limited English proficient persons.
Language
Use in the United States: 2007,
U.S. Census Bureau, April, 2010, 16 pp.
Twenty percent of the American people speak a language other than English at home.
Based on data from the 2007 American Community Survey, this report examines the preponderance of various languages, patterns
of language change since 1980, the English-speaking ability of various language communities, and language concentrations in
the 50 states. A particularly useful table estimates the number of limited English proficient people in each state.
Eliminating Language Barriers for LEP Individuals: Promising Practices from the Public
Sector,
Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Summer, 2009, 37 pp.
Authored by Ted Wang,
this report draws on input from the Language Access Practitioners Network, a group of state and municipal officials managing
or overseeing language access programs. The Network was created by the Annie E. Case Foundation in 2006. The report analyzes
language access legislation passed in the states of California, Minnesota, Maryland, Hawaii and Illinois, as well as local
ordinances in seven U.S. cities. The report features a helpful discussion of some of the institutional barriers and political
forces working against the introduction of effective language access policies and procedures. Wang also provides guidance
in determining which governmental entities should be assigned responsibility for language assistance oversight and technical
assistance.
A Social Worker's Tool Kit for Working with Immigrant
Families: A Child Welfare Flowchart,
Migration and Child Welfare National
Network (MCWNN), August, 2009, 10 pp.
This
resource was developed in response to the growing recognition that the child welfare field faces many new issues of practice,
policy and research arising from the rapid growth in the population of children in immigrant families. Established in 2006
and consisting of some 16 organizations around the country, MCWNN has sponsored several national conferences and produced
a series of publications related to the challenge of working with vulnerable immigrant children. A full listing of these resources
may be found on the website of the Network.
Is This Working? Assessment and Evaluation Methods
Used to Build and Assess Language Access Services in Social Service Agencies,
Migration Policy Institute, July, 2009, 28 pp.
This publication contains a tool kit of solutions for
public and private agencies interested in establishing and maintaining high quality language access programs, and features descriptions
of effective LEP data collection systems and program self-assessment tools. The report is particularly useful in cataloguing
the range of methods used to evaluate the language skills of new and current employees. Detailed descriptions
of innovative and promising practices in the states of California, Hawaii, Iowa, Minneosta, Washington, and Wisconsin are
highlighted. The "secret shopper" program in New York City is also profiled.
Language Access Webinars,
Migration Policy Institute,
2008-2009
Growing out of
an Annie E. Casey Foundation initiative to promote sharing and dialogue among public sector officials involved in developing
and managing language access services, MPI's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy launched a series of one-hour
webinars on language access in October of 2008. Each webinar features several presenters who discuss innovative practices
in various parts of the country. Among practices highlighted in the first three webinars are: Washington State's process for
certifying and compensating bilingual employees; New York City's 2008 Citywide Executive Order on language access; the Washington,
DC, Community Interpreter Bank; the Alaska Language Interpreter Center; the Office of Multi-Cultural Services (Hennepin County,
MN); and the Translation and Interpretation Unit of the New York City Dept. of Education.
Intimate Partner Violence in Immigrant and Refugee
Communities: Challenges, Promising Practices and Recommendations,
A Report by the Family
Violence Prevention Fund for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, March, 2009, 64 pp.
This report provides recommendations for funders interested in addressing the special challenges
and complexities associated with preventing and responding to intimate partner violence in newcomer communities. The report
discusses the tension that often exists between service provision and prevention efforts, as well as the optimal framework
for service provision, i.e. whether specialized in nature or housed within a larger community-based organization offering
a variety of services unrelated to domestic violence. The report features a 30-page literature review by Mieko Yoshihama of
the University of Michigan School of Social Work, as well as case studies of 7 organizations doing exemplary work in the field,
including the Arab-American Family Support Center in Brooklyn, NY, Manavi in New Jersey, and Casa de Esperanza in St. Paul,
MN.
Language Access Advocacy,
Management Information
Exchange: An Exchange of Information for Legal Services, Winter, 2008, 7 pp
This article discusses recent successful language access advocacy campaigns organized by legal service
entities, in partnership with immigrant community-based organizations in Arizona, California, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The article is divided into two sections: the first focusing on language access in public benefits and health care, and the
second, on language access in courts and law enforcement. The authors highlight and explain effective advocacy strategies.
Top Tips from Responses to the Survey of Language
Access Strategies Used by Federal Government Agencies,
Federal Interagency Working Group on
Limited English Proficiency, September 3, 2008, 4 pp.
Updated periodically, this document contains 25 recommendations in 10 categories, including
strong language access coordination and accountability, meangingful access to web-based information, and consistent enforcement
of quality control standards.
Integrating Immigrant Families in Emergency Response,
Relief and Rebuilding Efforts,
The Annie E. Casey
Foundation and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, 2008, 22 pp.
This report provides a framework for local planning to ensure that vulnerable limited English
proficient families are not neglected and placed at risk before, during, and after disasters. More like a manual, the
report contains step-by-step suggestions for emergency responders and examples of effective immigrant outreach practices from
communities around the country. The report also features a listing of funding sources that could be tapped to support emergency
outreach work to immigrant families.
Addressing
the Needs of Immigrants and Limited English Communities in Disaster Planning and Relief,
National Immigration Law Center, October 28, 2008, 11 pp.
Drawing on evidence of serious deficiencies
in managing emergencies in localities with large numbers of immigrants, this report makes a number of recommendations, including
the formation of partnerships between government agencies, disaster relief organizations, and immigrant-serving organizations;
the avoidance of inquiries into immigrant status; the cessation of immigrant enforcement activities for the duration of the
emergency; the relaxation of documentation requirements in areas where a disaster has caused the widespread destruction of
documents; ensuring that disaster victims do not lose their preexisting immigration status due to the death of a spouse or
loved one; and greater attention to meaningful language assistance in the delivery of disaster-related services.
The Intersection of Immigration and Child Welfare:
Emerging Issues and Implications,
Conference
Proceedings, Second National Forum, Migration and Child Welfare National Network, April 1-3, 2008,
34 pp.
Bringing together researchers and practitioners interested in the
impact of migration on child welfare policy and practice, this conference reviewed the status of key issues identified in
an earlier 2006 conference on the same subject. The 2008 proceedings include a report from the "Promising Practices Committee,"
discussions of several case histories, a summary of the work of the Immigrant Children's Advocacy Project in Chicago, and
abstracts of research projects underway in various parts of the country. In a presentation entitled "Beyond Cultural
Competence," Jorge Cabrera of Casey Family
Programs argues that practitioners working with immigrant children must pay attention to "issues such as acculturation,
the family's ‘story' of migration, the social, economic and political circumstances that led to the migration experience,
the struggles and hardships experienced by the family in their journey and the levels of isolation and connection that they
may be experiencing in their present community setting." Library Services for Immigrants: A Report on Current Practices,
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Institute of Museum and
Library Services, 2007, 7 pp.
This report describes promising approaches, along with recommendations, to strengthen library
services to immigrants. Areas covered include: community partnerships, development of collections, information services,
special programming and events, outreach, and planning. The report grew out of a working group of library and community representatives
convened by the Office of Citizenship (USCIS).
School Year Filled with Missed Communication,
Equity Monitoring Project for Immigrant and Refugee Education
(EMPIRE), June 27, 2007, 25 pp.
In 2006, the
Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education adopted Regulation A-663 for the purpose of providing translation
and interpretation services to hundreds of thousands of parents with limited English skills. This report, based on parent
surveys, focus groups, and on-site visits, documents widespread noncompliance with the regulation and contains recommendations,
such as the establishment of an accountability system, professional development for administrative staff, and parent education
efforts, to improve the effectiveness of the regulation.
Achieving Language and Cultural Competence in Serving People with Limited English Proficiency in Illinois
Department of Human Services Programs: Findings and Recommendations Report,
January
30, 2006, 24 pp. (Link no longer active)
With support from several local foundations, the Illinois Dept. of
Human Services undertook a comprehensive review of its track record in enabling limited English proficient individuals
to access its programs. An outside research team interviewed division staff members and analyzed documents and reports
related to issues of language and cultural competence. The team then produced a series of nine recommendations, constituting a
"strategic plan" for increasing the departments' effectiveness in serving LEP individuals.
Anthony J. Marsella & Michael A. Christopher,
Ethnocultural Issues in Disasters: A Overview of Research, Issues, and Directions,
Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 27(2004),
18 pp.
The authors argue that
disasters often involve "a complex cultural encounter," and that responders need to be aware of the communication
patterns and cultural resources of impacted communities so as to provide effective assistance and promote "post-traumatic
growth," not depression. The authors outline the scope of cultural competence training for disaster workers and offer
a series of recommendations designed to improve culturally sensitive service delivery during disasters. Finally, they propose
a research agenda, including the development of a "cultural disaster research archives" and the study of cultural
variations in loss, grief, and bereavement.
Mobility Information Needs of Limited English Proficiency
Travelers in New Jersey,
New Jersey Institute
of Technology, September, 2004,
Produced
under contract with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, this comprehensive study explores the public transit needs
of limited English proficient (LEP) persons in New Jersey. Noting the high correlation between public transit use and LEP
status, the study reviews pertinent literature on language access, identifies best practices in LEP transit access both nationally
and internationally, reports on the results of a survey to 575 LEP people on transit issues, discusses findings from 10 focus
groups with LEP individuals, and outlines a series of cost-effective recommendations for improving access.
Denied at the Door: Language Barriers Block Immigrant
Parents from School Involvement,
Advocates for Children
of New York and the New York Immigration Coalition, February 19, 2004, 55 pp.
Based on a survey of immigrant parents and students in the New York City School System, this
report documents widespread failure to communicate in native language with immigrant parents. Without parental involvement
in the education process, students will be deprived of parental support and schools will not have the full cooperation of
parents.
Language Access in State Departments,
Bilingual Services
Program, California State Personnel Board, April, 2001, 36 pp.
In compliance with California legislation mandating that state agencies employ a sufficient number
of qualified bilingual staff in public-contact positions and translate key documents into languages spoken by their clients,
the Bilingual Services Program (BSP) was established in June, 2000, with six staff positions. Perhaps the first comprehensive
assessment of multi-lingual communication capacity within state government, this report represents the initial findings and
recommendations of the BSP based on interviews with 119 state agencies, three public hearings, and input from two advisory
task forces. The report points out major areas of deficiency, as well as promising practices in particular departments/agencies.
The advantages of a coordinated approach to language accessibility are stressed throughout the report.
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Links
Language and Cultural Competence in Social Services, Education, Emergency Preparedness,
and Transportation
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News and Opinion
Cultural
and Linguistic Competence
in Social Services, Education, Emergency Preparedness, and Transportation
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Gov. Cuomo (New York) orders state agencies to provide aid in 6 foreign
languages,
Daily News, October 7, 2011 Lack of Spanish, barrier for immigrants,
Associated Press, May 28, 2011 Helping Immigrants Navigate Government,
The New York Times, April 10, 2011 Justice Department renewinig commitment to reaching individuals with limited English proficiency,
Hispanically Speaking News, February 28, 2011 English-only bills gain momentum,
Fox News Latino, February 1, 2011 Audit: Orange County (CA) falls short on bilingual services,
The Orange County Register, November 24, 2010 Nine-Year-Old City Language Law May Soon Be Enforced (San Francisco),
Mission Local, July 14, 2010
Language Help for New York City's Immigrants Falls Short,
The New York Times, July 6, 2010 Montgomery County (MD) leader signs language access executive order,
Gazette.net, March 10, 2010 Proposed Cuts would End California Assistance for Most New Legal Immigrants,
The Los Anegles Times, February 16, 2010 Civilian Agencies Help Fuel Growth in Translation Contracts,
Nextgov, February 12, 2010 Governor of North Carolina tangles with Beauford County Commissioners over state language access policy,
The Washington Daily News (NC), February 2, 2010 Legal Maze of Immigration Hard for Many to Navigate,
The Capital Times (Madison, WI), January 20, 2010 Toolkits Available to Child Welfare Workers to Better Handle Immigration-Related Issues,
Reuters, November 4, 2009 Welfare Agency is Sued over Translation Service,
The New York Times blogs, August 11, 2009 Councils spend £50m a year translating documents noone reads,
Sunday Telegraph (United Kingdom), June 13, 2009 Nashville voters reject "English Only" charter amendment,
January 23, 2009 Mayor Wildes of Englewood, N.J., discusses language access,
November 19, 2008 Study debunks myth that early immigrants quickly learned English,
October 16, 2008 Mayor Bloomberg issues language access executive order,
July 27, 2008 Mayor Nutter (Philadelphia) issues language access executive order,
June 6, 2008 |
Promising Practices in
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