The City of Concord is one of the largest and fastest growing cities in the state and is recognized nationally as one of the best places to live for families, and one of the top places to move to in North Carolina. With an increasingly diverse population, the City recently adopted a Language Access Plan to address communication barriers and help ensure Concord continues to be a welcoming and desirable place to call home.
The Language Access Plan (LAP) is the culmination of a year-long collaborative effort with El Puente Hispano and experts at UNC-Chapel Hill. The City of Concord was one of nine municipalities accepted into the inaugural Language Access Collaborative program facilitated by the Building Integrated Communities team at the Institute for the Study of the Americas. Through the program, City staff worked with El Puente Hispano to evaluate current practices and policies, conduct a needs assessment, and create a plan to improve communication with residents with Limited English Proficiency.
Currently, about 19.3% of Concord’s population speaks a language other than English and 4.6% of residents speak English less than “very well.” The top three languages most frequently encountered in the community include Spanish, Hindi, and American Sign Language. These are the three strategic languages that the LAP will focus on initially, with additional languages evaluated each year and the plan updated as needed.
Over the next year, with support from grant funding through the Language Access Collaborative, the City will begin implementing goals from the LAP. These goals include:
- Increase translation of vital documents and notices, beginning with the three strategic languages.
- Provide interpretation services for residents, as requested, during public meetings.
- Develop internal training to share language access resources, requirements, and services.
- Create an inclusive emergency response plan.
Recognizing that many residents and visitors speak different languages and need different levels of support, and the first place they often look for information is online, the City has already begun adding accessibility tools to its website. The City recently added the Recite Me toolbar to its website, concordnc.gov, to enhance accessibility and improve user experiences. This program offers users various translation, visual, and audio tools so they can read and understand the City’s online content in the ways that work best for their unique needs.
The City also currently offers a bilingual pay incentive to employees who successfully pass a competency exam, and contracts with on-demand interpreters to assist residents with Limited English Proficiency when calling Customer Care, public transportation, or public safety. The City will work to expand upon these efforts through implementation of the Language Access Plan.
For more information visit concordnc.gov/languageaccess.
Spanish translation of the Language Access Plan coming soon.