The federal legislation, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, require that any agencies receiving federal monies must comply with national origin discrimination stipulations indicated. As a result, many local, state, and federal agencies have responded by offering free language services either by providing interpreter or language lines to facilitate communication, translated forms and information, all to make it easier for immigrants to access vital assistance and services from their programs.
Still many agencies at all levels struggle to comply with these federal legislations and many immigrants are not aware of their language rights when trying to access help with local, state, and federal agencies. If you are an immigrant or an organization serving immigrants trying to access assistance for your clients look over these resources to determine what are their rights to receive information and assistance in their language:
Federal Protection Against National Origin Discrimination (Available in Several Languages)
What are my rights to information in my language in NYC agencies.
Do You Have Trouble Speaking and Understanding English? Know Your Rights!
Visit the LawHelp/NY page on Language Access Rights for New Yorkers