Language and communication influence how and if Latinos access and experience local resources and services. Typically, the quality of service provided to Latinos is diminished and customer satisfaction is lower for them because service providers lack Spanish language staff, information, and materials, and knowledge about Latino culture.

Providing services to Latinos and other persons with limited English proficiency (LEP) that are more limited in scope and lower in quality than those provided to English speakers is a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/lep/fact.html)

So how do service providers improve Latino access to their programs? This page attempts to answer that question by providing references – studies, statistics, LEP proposals, reports on outreach activities – related to Virginia’s Latino population.

The page also identifies community initiatives like Creciendo Juntos – Working Together that serve the Latino population in other parts of Virginia.

Please send an email to peterl@piedmonthousing.org to contribute a new reference to this page.


Contents

What Can Service Providers Do?

Basic LEP Tools

Sensitivity Trainings

Community Networks In Virginia

WHAT CAN SERVICE PROVIDERS DO?

Access Policy Enacted in New York City (July 2008)
Service Providers and others advocated on behalf of access policy that was adopted on July 22, 2008. To read the policy, visit: http://www.nilc.org/immspbs/la/nyic-lang-access-exec-order-2008-07-22.pdf

Language Barrier Begins to Fall at City Hospitals (July 2008)
Since the New York State Department of Health adopted new regulations on language access and patient rights more than a year ago, hospitals have improved their communications with patients who speak limited or no English, particularly those who speak Spanish. Read a report on the impact of changes and access related web links at: http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/immigrants/20080722/11/2589/

The Right To An Interpreter (January 2008)
In January 2007 and 2008, students from Tricia Regan’s UVA Spanish class contacted 28 area agencies by telephone – and in Spanish – to ascertain what language barriers Spanish speakers encounter when making first contact or doing follow up. A 2007 Spanish language article about the results is located at http://www.cj-network.org/cjsouthwood/uvastudentssouthjan222007.doc To view a power point presentation used by students at a 2008 CJ plenary, click here.

State Policies That Improve Access To High-Quality Child Care And Early Education For Immigrant Families
The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is a national nonprofit that works to improve the lives of low-income people. CLASP’s mission is to improve the economic security, educational and workforce prospects, and family stability of low-income parents, children, and youth and to secure equal justice for all. The group maintains a website that includes statistics and publications. Among them, is their new report on state policies that improve access to high-quality child care and early education for immigrant families. The website also has a technical assistance tool for states that lists recommended policies that states can implement to address immigrant access to high-quality child care and early education programs.
Location/report: http://www.clasp.org/publications/challenges_change.htm
Location/assistance tool: http://www.clasp.org/publications/state_policy_checklist07.pdf
Location/CLASP’s online address: www.clasp.org

Virginia Spanish Language Internet Resource For Health Care Providers And Consumers.
On May 10, 2006, Governor Kaine announced a new web site and a CLAS Act Resource Directory, identifying successful programs and resources for health providers to improve their ability to deliver core health care services to limited English proficiency patients. Among web resources are: A listing of multicultural health and human service programs in Virginia; Commonly used clinical phrases in English and Spanish - a new feature that will be coming soon are audio files of these phrases in Spanish; Guidance on how to translate materials and use interpreters effectively; Where to access translated health education materials; Virginia studies and reports on immigrants, refugees, and their health care needs; and Upcoming events such as conferences and training related to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care.
Source: Virginia Department of Health's Office of Health Policy and Planning (OHPP), May 2006
Location: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/ohpp/clasact.asp

Outreach to the Hispanic Population
Article address efforts to increase and retain Latino participation in medical assistance programs.
Source: Sign Up Now, a quarterly publication of the Virginia Health Care Foundation. Winter 2005, pp 6-7
Location: http://www.vhcf.org/cgi-upload/resource/OutreachWinter2005final.pdf?PHPSESSID=48a53673916f
dec3b6a2c62a62ce052f&PHPSESSID=2e20a47461da9ab32efb11377e5b0484

Guidelines for interactions with LEP Clients.
Source: Virginia Department of Social Services
Location: http://www.localagency.dss.state.va.us/broadcasts/docs/2005/11/10/LEP_DSS_policy_103105.pdf

Identifying Options
Report highlights three problems for Virginia’s foreign born - access to opportunities to improve English proficiency, access to services and information in their native language, and affordable health care - and identifies options for addressing these problems.
Source: Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission of the Virginia General Assembly, 2004
Location: http://jlarc.state.va.us/Reports/Rpt300.pdf


Acclimation of Virginia’s Foreign-Born Population
This JLARC study looks at the acclimation of Virginia’s ethnically diverse population. The report reviews government policies and programs, needs, benefits and costs, and options for facilitating acclimation. Related study documents, including a review of initiatives employed by other states and localities, spreadsheet of primary countries of origin, as well as maps displaying the distribution of foreign-born residents are also available.
Source: Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission, 2004
Location: http://jlarc.state.va.us/fbmaps.htm


Final Report: Virginia Latino Advisory Commission
September 30, 2004
This report completed the first year of commission activities identifying the most pressing problems facing the Latino community and responding to these with recommendations. The commission was created in October 2003 by Governor Mark Warner.
Location: http://www.vlac.virginia.gov/pdfs/Revised%20Final.pdf

Thomas Jefferson Health District Reaches Out to Non-Native English Speakers.
Article summarizing this organization’s LEP plan.
Source: Peggy Pavior in Virginia Health Beat, January 2004
Location: http://www.vdh.state.va.us/news/VAHealthBeat/0104/

Guidelines For Full Participation by Limited English Proficient Customers
LEP plan of the VEC.
Source: Virginia Employment Commission
Location: http://www.vec.virginia.gov/vecportal/about_vec.cfm

Selected Best Practices of Programs Serving the Foreign Born Population
Source: Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission Report, November 2003
Location: http://jlarc.state.va.us/Summary/Rpt300/fig7.gif

Acclimation of Virginia's Foreign-Born Population
“State and local government approaches to acclimating the foreign-born vary from comprehensive to informal. Some agencies and localities have established innovative programs to assist foreign-born individuals. Others appear to do very little to support this population. Overall, the current approach is inefficient and does not meet the needs of the foreign-born population.”
Source: Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission Report, November 2003
Location: http://jlarc.state.va.us/Summary/Rpt300/Acclim.htm

BASIC LEP TOOLS

The following are some useful online web tools for identifying the primary language of LEP persons.

“I Speak” Flashcard
This Language Identification Flashcard has the phrase “Mark this box if you read or speak (name of language)” translated into 38 different languages. It was developed by the Census Bureau and is used by government and non-government agencies to identify the primary language of Limited English Proficiency individuals during face to face contacts.
Location: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/cor/Pubs/ISpeakCards2004.pdf

Resource: Languages by Country
This chart – a useful resource for identifying what language translator is needed - lists languages spoken in every country of the world.
Location: http://bootsnall.onlinelanguagelearning.com/en/resources.php?sub=languages

Resource: Translations
A web resource that translates text and web pages from one language to another, including English,
German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian.
Location: http://babelfish.altavista.com

SENSITIVITY TRAININGS

The following are videos, speeches, power point presentations and other tools useful for increasing the cultural sensitivity of service providers working with Latinos.

Working with Latino Clients in Clinical Settings
This power point presentation by Dr. Rosalie Corona, VCU, was used at the CJ Mental Health & Latinos forum on October 30, 2007. To contact Dr. Corona, write racorona@vcu.edu A biographical sketch on Dr. Corona is available at http://www.has.vcu.edu/psy/people/corona.html
Click here to view the presentation.

We are Latinos
This power point presentation by Dr. Sandy Lopez-Baez, UVa, was used at the CJ Mental Health & Latinos forum on October 30, 2007. To contact Dr. Baez, write sll6f@virginia.edu Information on Dr. Lopez-Baez is located at http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/index.php?option=com_currypeople&task=detail&userid=sll6f and http://www.counseling.org/PressRoom/NewsReleases.aspx?AGuid=ea91b34e-aa06-4653-a54b-8f154c14bf9e
Click here to view the presentation.

Ten points to keep in mind when interacting with Latinos
Dr. Heather Finkel is a mental health practitioner with FOCUS Women’s Center. Her presentation, at the CJ Mental Health & Latinos forum on October 30, 2007, focused on ten areas all service providers working with Latinos need to be conscious of. To contact Dr. Finkel, write hfinkel@focuscville.org An
overview of services provided by Dr. Finkel is at http://www.cj-network.org/cjcomm_ann/Flier_Enlgish_Finkel_PDF.pdf
Click here to view the presentation.

Senora de la Cruz
This 16 minute DVD (or VHS) movie is an important tool for educating the Latino population about their right to an interpreter and for underscoring the importance of interpreters to service providers. The movie is produced by Baltimore HealthCare Access and can be ordered by contacting Tracy Kodeck at (410) 649-0510. Click here for a Baltimore Sun article about the movie.

Mixteco Resource Manual (2006)
Mixteco is a family of languages spoken by a significant minority of people from Oaxaca, Mexico. The manual provides information about Mixtec language and culture as well as resources to assist in the effective delivery of services. Click here to enter.

Our Roots
Charlottesville
This power point presentation was given in 2006 by Dilcia Colindes, Advocate for Spanish Speaking Community, Shelter for Help in Emergency, and member of Creciendo Juntos – Growing Together. Click here to see the presentation.

COMMUNITY NETWORKS IN VIRGINIA

Creciendo Juntos, Growing Together
Charlottesville
Creciendo Juntos (CJ) is a network of more than 50 organizations and 100 people working to support and strengthen the Charlottesville regional community through the integration and development of its Latino/Hispanic members. Among its projects, CJ operates an online clearinghouse of information and resources that can be found at http://www.cj-network.org For additional information, contact Peter Loach at peterl@piedmonthousing.org

Colaborando Juntos, Working Together
Richmond
Colaborando Juntos (CJ) is a network of government, nonprofit, faith, private and community volunteers who work with and for the Richmond area Latino/Hispanic community and its well being. CJ increases public awareness of critical issues by encouraging partnerships and leveraging resources. Visit its web site at: http://www.colaborandojuntosva.com or contact CJ by writing McKenna Brown: rmbrown1@vcu.edu, cj@colaborandojuntosva.com In January 2006, Tanya Gonzalez, head of the Hispanic Liaison Office for the City of Richmond, delivered a presentation on this Richmond network during a Creciendo Juntos meeting. To view her power point presentation, click here.

Hispanic Committee of Virginia
Falls Church
Founded in 1967, the Hispanic Committee of Virginia, or el Comite Hispano de Virginia, provides a broad and integrated combination of programs and services in direct response to the needs of the Hispanic community in Northern Virginia, including education, employment, health education, immigration, information and referral, and social services, all of which are supported by a strong and stable volunteer program. The mission of the organization is to provide programs and services that enable Hispanic immigrants to participate more fully and contribute to American society.
http://www.hcva.org/

Hispanos Unidos de Virginia
Falls Church
This group’s mission is to raise the economic, educational, and social levels of the underprivileged residents of Northern Virginia who suffer from a substantial level of unemployment. It seeks to achieve this goal by administering services and activities, including training, employment services, and a self-help housing program. Although services are primarily for Hispanics, they are not limited to any ethnic group.
Contact info: Phone: (703) 533-9300, Fax: (703) 533-9369

Latino Outreach Program of the Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC)
Falls Church and Richmond, Virginia
PEATC is Virginia’s parent training and information center serving families with its focus on families of children with disabilities and the professionals who serve them. At PEATC we strive to improve educational outcomes for Hispanic children by empowering families through parental choice in education. We achieve this by providing parents with free information and resources, which help them become self-advocates for their children. For more information on the program contact: Barbara Cornicello, Director of Communications and Outreach/PEATC, cornicello@peatc.org, www.peatc.org

Public Comment for the Virginia State Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting
January 10, 2007 / PEATC Fact Sheet – English / PEATC Fact Sheet – Spanish

La Voz
Loudon County
La Voz, the voice in English, was started three years ago. "We are an advocacy group helping the Latino community … We want to help them integrate.” The group can be reached through Laura Valle at: (703) 443-2502. Click here to read an article about La Voz.


Harrisonburg Initiatives

Blue Ridge Legal Services
The legal aid office served 140 clients (60% Hispanic) in 2006. Contact: John Whitfield, jwhitfield@brls.org , 540/433-1830, http://www.brls.org

Harrisonburg Area Hispanic Services Council (HSC)
This network of services providers has a web page that is largely outdated, but there are notes from recent meetings: http://hispaniccouncil.org/HSC The HSC does have an email newsletter; to be added contact: sylvia@bbbshr.org

Hispanic Mentoring Program
The program is administered by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. One of its new programs is Mentoring Children of Prisoners. Contact: Sylvia Whitney, sylvia@bbbshr.org, 540/433-8886, www.bbbshr.org

New Bridges Immigrant Resource Center
The staff and volunteers of this Mennonite non-profit help immigrants deal with language issues, secure jobs, find childcare, utilize social services, receive financial training and find medical and educational resources. Starting in March 2007, the agency will be offering CPR instruction in Spanish. Contact: Susannah Lepley, Director, newbridges@verizon.net , 540/438-8295 (o), 540/476-0635 (c)

Shenandoah Valley Migrant Education Program
One of 10 regional programs of the Virginia Migrant Education Program. This region serves the cities of Harrisonburg and Winchester and the counties of Clarke, Frederick, Fauquier, Loudon, Page, Prince William, Rappahanock, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren. The MEP provides free supplemental educational services to children aged 3-21 of migrant workers for 3 years after their last migrant move. Services include tutoring/mentoring, drop-out prevention activities, educational interpretations (Spanish/English) and networking/orientation to other community services. Contact: Marcos Quintana, quintana.mp@gmail.com , 540/568-3666 or Jane Hubbell, Reginal Coordinator, hubbeljx@jmu.edu , 540/568-2558

Northern Shenandoah Valley Immigrant Resource Center
Winchester
This initiative, which began in February 2006 and functions in partnership with Harrisonburg’s New Bridges Immigrant Resource Center, serves the immigrant population in the areas of Winchester and Clarke and Frederick counties with information and assistance with immigration, worker rights and benefits, college education, and housing. Click here to read an article about NSVIRC. Telephone: (540) 450-0778, (540) 476-0635.

The Virginia Latino Advisory Board (VLAB)
Statewide
This group was created to recognize the importance of the contributions of Latinos in Virginia, to advise and inform the Governor on issues facing Latino constituents, and to advocate for Latino interests. http://www.vlab.virginia.gov Phone: 804-225-4836, Fax: 804-371-6351, Email: VLAB@governor.virginia.gov

Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO)
An alliance among organizations in Virginia that serve or support the interests of the Latino/Hispanic community to empower the community and secure equal treatment, equal opportunity, and equal representation for Latinos/Hispanics. VACOLAO offers a daily clipping service on legal issues relating to the Virginia Latino population. To subscribe, visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VACOLAO


Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Richmond
“Founded in May 2000 as the first statewide organization to empower Hispanics in the Virginia business community by building economic, social, and cultural bridges between Virginia and its growing Hispanic community. VHCC’s goals include: Growth and success of the VAHCC membership and Virginia Hispanic businesses; Linking to the Hispanic community; and Advocacy, awareness and interest in the Virginia Hispanic community. http://www.vahcc.com , (804) 378-4099, info@vahcc.com