Limited English Proficiency Services & Information
Letter can also be downloaded as an Adobe Reader or Microsoft Word Document.
Justice Department Announces Memorandum of Agreement with Town of Mattawa, Washington, and Mattawa Police Department
Press Release (Microsoft Word) and Memorandum of Agreement (Adobe PDF)
Interesting LEP study by The Brookings Institution - Immigrant Gateways: Faces of the Next Cities. (external link to Adobe Reader file)
Immigrant Secondary Students in Washington State: Population Trends and High School Diploma Programs http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/07-01-2204.pdf
Report To Congress:
Assessment of the Total Benefits and Costs of Implementing Executive OrderNo. 13166:
Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency
Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA) in Seattle, Washington: Working Collaboratively Across Disciplines to Assist LEP Victims of Violence
The Refugee Women's Alliance (ReWA) has used constructive liaisons with police departments and other organizations as a means of providing services in a broad range of languages to victims of violence, while at the same time increasing cultural competence in, and sensitivity to, the issues facing victims of violence.
ReWA's comprehensive range of services for LEP individuals include community outreach/education on domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in areas with significant LEP populations; English as a Second Language (ESL) and vocational classes with on-site child care; an on-site pre-school; support groups for refugee and immigrant battered women and those at risk of becoming victims of domestic violence; consultation and training to law enforcement agencies and other service providers likely to encounter LEP victims; and specialized services to help LEP women understand and navigate the legal system. Legal services include referrals to pro-bono legal representation, as well as weekly sessions/workshops with on-site and volunteer attorneys on family law and other issues. Staff interpreters are available to work with attorneys during these sessions. ReWA has also implemented a "co-advocacy" program designed to address the problems that can arise when two or three agencies are dealing with the same client. The "co-advocacy" program ensures that clients receive comprehensive assistance (e.g., emergency response, legal action, housing, and other needs), while avoiding duplication of effort and conflict.
The primary LEP populations served by ReWA are East African, East European, Southeast Asian, and others. Jointly, advocates speak 23 languages. ReWA's Domestic Violence Program alone has seven advocates who speak about 14 languages, including Somali, Russian, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Ethiopian, Lao, and Chinese. Interpreters, usually native speakers of the language for which they provide interpretation, receive extensive training and are "screened" to ensure that they can read and write proficiently. They also receive additional training on how to accurately interpret and translate domestic violence terminology. ReWA publishes brochures in 11 different languages. The available brochures include a domestic violence brochure (available in 10 languages) for distribution by police departments. This domestic violence brochure defines domestic violence, explains a victim's rights, describes ReWA's services, and provides ReWA's contact information. In addition to the brochures, ReWA also collaborates with the Seattle Police Department to produce sexual assault education videos in Cambodian, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese, and Amharic. The videos provide information for victims of sexual assault in ethnic communities, including an explanation of a victim's rights and the resources available to assist the victim.
Contact: Someireh Amirfaiz
Executive Director, ReWA
PO Box 28112 Seattle, WA 98118
(206) 721-0243, ext. 222;
www.rewa.org
The Washington State Rehabilitation Council has translated our membership recruitment brochure into eight languages other than English. We wanted to share links to these publications with you in case you know of anyone who would be interested learning more about our work or applying for membership:
Cambodian
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/ForeignLang/22-1188CA.pdf
Chinese
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/ForeignLang/22-1188CH.pdf
Korean
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/ForeignLang/22-1188KO.pdf
Laotian
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/ForeignLang/22-1188LA.pdf
Russian
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/ForeignLang/22-1188RU.pdf
Somali
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/ForeignLang/22-1188SM.pdf
Spanish
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/ForeignLang/22-1188SP.pdf
Vietnamese
http://www.dshs.wa.gov/pdf/ForeignLang/22-1188VI.pdf
additional information about us is available in the same languages at the bottom of our website at www.wastrehabcouncil.org
To obtain this information in an alternate format or if you have questions or comments about this site, please contact the Webmaster. PRIVACY NOTICE