PR Language Access Plan for Limited English Proficiency 09-08

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Language Access Plan 9-08 Parks and Recreation One, in the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program had contact with LEP o clients several times a month. She speaks Ilocano and Tagalog with them because they feel most comfortable speaking in their home language. They are capable of conversing in Pidgin English but prefer these two Filipino dialects. Another encounter was with a German speaker at the counter of the Admin o Office. Frequency of LEP contact with the Department of Parks and Recreation employees: 98% of staff members never had contact with LEP clients. o Nature and importance of services provided: Access to facilities is one aspect of P&R’s public contact. Campers from o foreign countries reserve camp sites in the Administration Office. Most campers speak English well enough to understand what they need to do. When that is not the case, the placard with phone numbers for translations is available at the desk. Access to programs is important as it ensures all people, visitors or o residents, will be able to participate in what P&R has to offer. Resources available to the P&R Department and the costs of providing interpretation and translation services: Hawai’i County has a contract with the Language Line to provide telephone o interpreting services.Since the frequency with which LEP persons have contact with departmental employees is so little, the cost of providing this service when needed is not prohibitive. Several employees within the department speak a few foreign languages o and can be called upon to assist LEP clients when they are available. RESOURCES:The County Human Resources Department has an established practice of asking new employees for their language skills. New employees of Parks and Recreation are not required to respond, but if they do report additional foreign language skills, their information is sent to the Human Resources Department. P&R has 11 employees with foreign language skills. A Report on Bilingual Employees is kept on a database in the Human Resources Department and updated annually. There are currently 148 employees within the County who speak one or more languages other than English and have volunteered to be of assistance if the need arises.If an interpreter is needed thought to be particularly during the course of business to attend to a matter that is not important to a person’s life, the Bilingual Employees Report will be consulted to see if there is an available employee who can interpret. If a bilingual employee is not readily 4