COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES FOR DIVERSE POPULATIONS

AVOID THE SINS OF THE PAST BY GETTING 

MEANINGFUL INPUT FROM MARGINALIZED PEOPLE

The city of Philadelphia’s language access element of the toolkit uses a quote to drive home the isolation someone can feel, despite their having every right to full city services:

“For someone like me, who doesn’t have good English, it’s very difficult to visit [city buildings].

I always have to bring someone who speaks English because it’s hard to find an interpreter through the phone or in-person.

It’s very inconvenient.” — Community Member.

The language guide has sage advice for serving the nearly 22 percent of Americans who speak a language that is not English at home.

“When we don’t prioritize language access, some community members will plan their own accommodations or won’t participate at all.

That causes linguistically diverse communities to take on inequitable burdens that fluent English speakers don’t experience.

And that can lead to conflict, delays, and miscommunication in our engagements,” according to the toolkit.