Kansas English Only Policy

[se_lang]

I may be the minority on this one I fully agree with English only, unlike my state where I wrote and asked for a Chinese manual and they said sorry we only do English then come to find out they do Spanish, I live in Texas and can see why but completely disagree with it, if my wife can learn English so can everyone else. They either need to accommodate all or only English!

Edited October 23, 2005 by se_lang (see edit history)

[se_lang]

The page

 

Title VI complaint form

 

Please mail the complaint to the following address:

Coordination and Review Section - NYA

Civil Rights Division

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20530

 

Our phone numbers, if you need assistance, are:

 

(888) 848-5306 (toll free voice and TDD)

(202) 307-2222 (voice)

(202) 307-2678 (TDD)

 

Limited English Page

 

Overview of Executive Order 13166

On August 11, 2000, the President signed Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency." The Executive Order requires Federal agencies to examine the services they provide, identify any need for services to those with limited English proficiency (LEP), and develop and implement a system to provide those services so LEP persons can have meaningful access to them. It is expected that agency plans will provide for such meaningful access consistent with, and without unduly burdening, the fundamental mission of the agency. The Executive Order also requires that the Federal agencies work to ensure that recipients of Federal financial assistance provide meaningful access to their LEP applicants and beneficiaries.

To assist Federal agencies in carrying out these responsibilities, the U.S. Department of Justice has issued a Policy Guidance Document, "Enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - National Origin Discrimination Against Persons With Limited English Proficiency" (LEP Guidance). This LEP Guidance sets forth the compliance standards that recipients of Federal financial assistance must follow to ensure that their programs and activities normally provided in English are accessible to LEP persons and thus do not discriminate on the basis of national origin in violation of Title VI's prohibition against national origin discrimination.

 

The Coordination and Review Section is responsible for governmentwide coordination with respect to Executive Order 13166. The Section serves as the federal repository for the internal implementation plans that each federal agency is required to develop, to ensure meaningful access to its own federally conducted programs and activities, and it also reviews and approves each funding agency¡¯s external LEP guidance for its recipients. As the Department of Justice prepared its own plan, the Section reviewed and approved each component¡¯s submission. Further, the Section developed the Department¡¯s external guidance for its own recipients.

 

The Section has initiated an aggressive program of intra- and inter-agency consultations and actively solicits comments and suggestions from representatives of recipient and LEP individuals on how to identify and address the needs of LEP individuals under Executive Order 13166 in an effective and cost-effective manner.

 

Commonly Asked Questions and Answers Regarding Executive Order 13166: Providing Meaningful Access to Individuals Who Are Limited English Proficient to Federally Assisted and Federally Conducted Programs And Activities

 

Guidance and Materials Specific to DOJ Recipients and Components

Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency" (HTML or PDF)

 

Department of Justice Final Guidance to Federal Financial Assistance Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons as published in the Federal Register on June 18, 2002 (HTML or PDF)

 

Assistant Attorney General July 8, 2002 Memorandum to Heads of Federal Agencies, General Counsels, and Civil Rights Directors concerning Executive Order 13166 (Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency) (HTML or PDF)

Department of Justice October 26, 2001 Memorandum Regarding Executive Order 13166 (Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency) (HTML or PDF)

Background and Questions and Answers - October 26, 2001 DOJ Clarifying Memorandum Regarding Limited English Proficiency and Executive Order 13166

 

Department of Justice January 11, 2002 Memorandum concerning Executive Order 13166 (Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency) (HTML or PDF)

Department of Justice Language Assistance Implementation Plan for its Federally Conducted Programs Pursuant to Executive Order 13166

Assistant Attorney General November 12, 2002 Memorandum to Heads of Federal Agencies, General Counsels, and Civil Rights Directors concerning Tools to Ensure Implementation and Understanding of Executive Order 13166 (HTML or PDF) with HOT LINKS to brochures and implementation tools.

 

Deputy Assistant Attorney General December 1, 2003 letter to State court administrators regarding the provision of language services to persons with Limited English Proficiency. (HTML or PDF)

"I Speak" Language Identification Flashcard (PDF)

Clearinghouse website providing and linking to information, tools, and technical assistance regarding limited English proficiency and language access for federal agencies, recipients of federal funds, users of federal programs and federally assisted programs, and others - www.lep.gov.

Assistant Attorney General Dec. 13, 2002 letter to recipients of DOJ assistance seeking and offering assistance in implementing LEP guidance (HTML or PDF). An article for possible inclusion in newsletters is attached (HTML)

 

Executive Order 13166 Limited English Proficiency Resource Document: Tips and Tools from the Field (HTML , PDF).

Limited English Proficiency Video (Captioned, Non-Captioned)

Edited October 23, 2005 by se_lang (see edit history)

[se_lang]

and another page Edited October 23, 2005 by se_lang (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Texas will, however, allow you to take a verbal written exam with an interpreter.

[se_lang]

Texas will, however, allow you to take a verbal written exam with an interpreter.

162515[/snapback]

Yes, they will they even offered to let me in there if I spoke the language, But this is how she studied in English and Chinese Drivers ed tests

[HanLi]

was it the theme from "Deliverance"?

[LeeFisher3]

I may be the minority on this one I fully agree with English only, unlike my state where I wrote and asked for a Chinese manual and they said sorry we only do English then come to find out they do Spanish, I live in Texas and can see why but completely disagree with it, if my wife can learn English so can everyone else. They either need to accommodate all or only English!

162506[/snapback]

While I understand your point of view, if we were to carry it to the extreme then a K-1 visa application would need to include a test to determine fluent English at the interview and then we would need to determine what constitutes enough English before they are allowed to have a visa.

 

Also, we would probably need to find a country to deport a large majority of natural born Americans as I am sure they could not pass a literacy test in English. For some reason Trigg comes to mind. But to prevent cruel and unusual treatment we must find a country where they would be fluent in the local tounge, guess Trigg gets the moon to himself.

 

The real hardship is when someone jumps through the hoops required to come to the USA only to be refused treatment my a medical facility because their language skills don't meet some arbitrary standard.

 

It's difficult for us to require one thing from immigrants that we do not require of our native born citizens, I won't say it isn't done, but it shouldn't be done.

[Jeikun]

I am in agreement with se_lang. I know it can cause some hardships, but I don't think our government, public services, etc etc can or should make every service available in every language. Next I suppose we'll need to have schools employ teachers that speak all languages, squeeze all languages onto road signs, only employ polyglots for any service position.... It's the tower of babel all over again (forgive me for getting old testament here). It is to the nations benefit that we as a people all share one common language. Those who come here should learn it.

[LeeFisher3]

I am in agreement with se_lang.  I know it can cause some hardships, but I don't think our government, public services, etc etc can or should make every service available in every language.  Next I suppose we'll need to have schools employ teachers that speak all languages, squeeze all languages onto road signs, only employ polyglots for any service position....  It's the tower of babel all over again (forgive me for getting old testament here).  It is to the nations benefit that we as a people all share one common language.  Those who come here should learn it.

162649[/snapback]

I can agree that people who come to the US should learn English, but what do we do while they learn it? Should your SO be required to be able to communicate fully with her doctor to receive treatment or be told to come back when she has learned enough english to say "I'm bleeding to death, please help me" or one even more close to home for one of our members SO who had their appendix burst when she came to the US.

 

Shouldn't we require the Pennsylvania Dutch to learn English? Many can't speak as much English as my SO.

 

While were discussing this, how would you have felt if you were told you needed to be fluent in Chinese before they allowed you a visa?

 

I'm not asking the state to provide service in every language or even Chinese. I'm wanting them to allow me to pay for a way for the communication to take place. If she was deaf there would be no question that they would allow a method of translation to verbal commands.

 

I take it that you will not be needing a translator for the AOS interview...

[skibum]

The US should make English the offical language. That way we won't have these problems. The states just need to allow the use of translators as my wife did. It still took her 2 tries. The translator was used with her back to the officers.

 

I hate it when I go in a store and the credit card scanner ask me "English" or "Spanish". I try to make a point of asking why they don't have Chinese and all the other lanquages.

 

Ever wonder why Spanish is on the ballots - you have to know English to become a USC.

 

I would assume that you would go to the Dr. with her as I did my wife. If you know of an instance where someone was denied medical care because of language, you should report it.

 

When I go to another country, I do not expect them to make exceptions for me. Sometimes the menu has English but I also carry a list of dishes in my guide book.

 

My wife's DL expired when her visa did eventho we had fulfilled the requirements for her to stay here. When she got her green card, we had to pay again to get the new DL.

 

Lee, take a deep breath. This is not a big thing in the course of our lives.

 

Ski

[LeeFisher3]

As for making English the Official language of the US, this will never happen. You have a large Spanish speaking group of citizens in south Florida who have too much clout in the electoral process.

 

Discrimination of any kind in our society should never be condoned or just accepted, and being done at the state or local government level should be allowed to pass as acceptable. As a country we did this with the black population long enough and it should never be allowed to be transfered to another group of people for any reason.

 

Today I happened to stumble upon document that our current governor sent out to all state employees addressing discrimination and she stated that this was unacceptable at any level of government agency within the state.

 

Allowing the use of a translator would resolve the matter for us, but for now it has been stated it is not allowed.

 

If I want to play the game I could always have a medical authority diagnose her as language deficient and then they would have no use but to accommodate her under ADA and the state would be required to provide a translator due to her disability.

 

While I know it isn't a big thing in the overall scheme of life, but it is not acceptable either. Life will go on, but someone needs to make the point that this is not acceptable within our society.

[jim_julian]

I think it was in a news article I read recently ... here in the Los Angeles area Korean immigrants who run/work in small businesses are increasingly learning Spanish, instead of English, as their second language because more of their customer base speaks Spanish as a first language than English as a first language.

 

Sigh ...

[shimaore]

why English should be the official language of the USA?

Is it because Christopher Columbus ? Is it because of a few guys coming on the mayflower ? Or maybe just because of the Boston tea party ?

To put it simply I can understand if in old Europe some people get edgy with the matter of language ( long long history and pretty homogenous population culturally-wise ) but in the USA how to justify the imposition of one language upon the rest of the population ?

As Ski mentioned accomodating various languages in government is essential in providing services ( health , justice , etc...)to every section of the population .

In the long run English is in no danger of disappearing : Many First generation british of indian ethnicity were not fluent in English but 2nd and 3rd generation are mostly anglophone . The Bottom line is , every ethnicity learn now or later if they want to have an influence in a host society they will have to adapt to the culture of the majority ( english-speaking ).