2-40-020 Language access plans.
(a) All City departments that provide direct public services shall ensure meaningful access to such services by taking reasonable steps to develop and implement department-specific language access plans regarding LEP persons. Those departments that provide services to the public that are not programmatic in nature, such as emergency services, shall implement this Chapter to the degree practicable.
(b) Each pertinent City department shall have flexibility to determine appropriate language assistance for its service population. In implementing a program of language assistance, the department shall:
1. designate a Language Access Coordinator within 45 days of the effective date of this Chapter to oversee the creation and execution of a department- specific internal language access policy and implementation plan;
2. develop such language access policy and implementation plan within 180 days of the effective date of this Chapter. Such plan shall be developed by undertaking the four-factor analysis outlined below, which is based on guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Justice effective June 12, 2002 (67 FR 41455). The four factors are:
i. the number or proportion of LEP persons served or encountered in the eligible service population;
ii. the frequency with which LEP persons come into contact with the department;
iii. the nature and importance of the program, activity or service to the LEP person (including consequences of lack of language services or inadequate interpretation/translation); and
iv. the resources available to the department and the costs of providing various types of language services;
3. provide services in any non-English language spoken by a limited or non-English proficient population that constitutes 5% or 10,000 individuals, whichever is less, in Chicago, as those languages are determined based on a variety of relevant sources, including, but not limited to, United States Census data, intake data collected by City departments, data on telephonic language translation service requests or usage, research provided by the Language Access Advisory Committee, and community feedback;
4. ensure that the language access policy and implementation plan includes the following elements for LEP individuals:
i. identification and translation of essential public documents provided to or completed by program beneficiaries and/or participants;
ii. interpretation services, including the use of telephonic interpretation services;
iii. training of frontline workers and managers on language access policies and procedure;
iv. posting of signage in conspicuous locations about the availability of free interpretation services;
v. establishment of an appropriate monitoring and measurement system regarding the provision of department language services;
vi. creation of appropriate public awareness strategies for the department's service populations.
(c) The language access plans developed under this section shall also include provisions for addressing the needs of emerging populations with high rates of LEP persons not covered in subsection (b)(3).
(Added Coun. J. 5-6-15, p. 108469, § 1)
