South Raleigh News

Today, Governor Roy Cooper announced efforts to improve language access for North Carolinians interacting with state government. This initiative aims to connect more residents with information, programs, and services.

"It’s important that people from all communities can access important information they need," stated Governor Cooper. "Increasing language access helps ensure that more North Carolinians can fully engage in the activities and responsibilities of public life."

Language access improvements will benefit over 1.2 million North Carolinians who speak languages other than English. In December 2023, Governor Cooper introduced the NC Equity for Digital Language Access project, which included an assessment of language access across state cabinet agencies. Following this assessment, a language access plan template, comprehensive policy, and toolkit were created to assist agencies in preparing or updating their Language Access Plans (LAPs).

These resources are available at nc.gov/languageaccess and have been used by several agencies to complete their LAPs. Additional plans will be added as they are completed.

The effort was led by the Governor's Office along with various departments including the North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s Office of Digital Equity and Literacy, the Department of Adult Correction, and the Department of Environmental Quality.

According to U.S. Census data, 8.5% of North Carolina residents were born outside the United States. Among these individuals, 451,823 have Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The state's language access initiatives aim to help integrate New Americans into society while promoting well-being and economic prosperity.

Language Access Plans outline strategies for addressing language barriers through interpretation, translation services, staff training, and public outreach. They aim to improve service delivery and increase trust among diverse communities while ensuring compliance with federal regulations such as Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Several state government agencies currently have their LAPs available online:

- The NC Department of Administration

- The NC Department of Adult Correction

- The NC Department of Commerce

- The NC Department of Environmental Quality

- The NC Department of Health and Human Services

- The NC Department of Information Technology

- The NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

- The NC Department of Public Safety

- The NC Department of Transportation

- The NC Office of State Budget and Management