A New Day? Language Access and NYC’s New Administration

A New Day? Language Access and NYC’s New Administration

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

From the Event Description:

Executive Order No. 120, which entered into effect during the previous mayoral administration, required “all City agencies that provide direct public services” to New Yorkers to “ensure meaningful access to such services by taking reasonable steps to develop and implement agency-specific language assistance plans regarding LEP persons.”

How are City agencies that interact with New York’s immigrant communities and Deaf communities complying with this obligation? Under the new administration, how will agencies ensure that New York’s increasingly diverse population has “meaningful access” to services? What best practices for expanding language access have been developed since Executive Order No. 120 was passed, and what challenges remain?

Introductory Remarks: Hon. Letitia James, New York City Public Advocate

Speakers: Amber Greene, Policy Director, New York City Public Advocate; Amy Taylor, Legal Services NYC; Hannah Pennington, Mayor’s Office to Combat Domestic Violence and New York City Family Justice Center, Manhattan; Sandra Bryan, Coordinator, Court Interpreting Services, NYS Unified Court System; Belkys Garcia, Legal Aid Society, Civil Division, Health Law Unit; Kavita Pawria-Sanchez, General Counsel, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs

Sponsored by: Women in the Courts Task Force, Rebecca Berkebile, Chair; Minorities in the Courts Committee, R. Nadine Fontaine, Chair; Immigration & Nationality Law Committee, Prof. Lenni B. Benson, Chair; Domestic Violence Committee, Anna E. Ognibene; Family Court & Family Law Committee, Marshall C. Cook, Chair