NY Times Examines City’s Approach to Immigrant Issues

A January 21st New York Times article about Mayor Bloomberg's approach to immigration issues takes note of Legal Services NYC's lawsuit against the City's Human Resources Administration, filed in response to the agency's failure to reasonably accommodate limited English proficient New Yorkers.

From the article:

Mr. Bloomberg’s efforts to make city agencies more accessible to people
who speak little or no English have won wide acclaim. In 2003, he signed
a law requiring the city’s Human Resources Administration and social
service agencies to provide interpreters and other language help; an
executive order in 2008 extended that to every agency dealing with the
public.

But Legal Services NYC, a nonprofit group, is suing the Human Resources Administration, saying that follow-through has been spotty,
leading to “humiliating discrimination” against immigrants. Many city
workers remain unaware of the rules, and some are unequipped to help
people who speak other languages, lawyers and advocates say.

“There is a big disconnect between what our city policy says and what’s
happening,” said Amy S. Taylor, the lawyer who filed the suit.

Click here to read the rest of the piece.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of low-income New Yorkers who have
been denied access to vital benefits, such as Food Stamps and Medicaid, solely
because they cannot communicate in English, despite a city law requiring the Human
Resources Administration (HRA) to provide translation and interpretation
services to these individuals.  The suit alleges widespread civil
rights violations at HRA centers across the five boroughs.
Read more about the lawsuit, filed in August of 2009, by clicking here.

Further language access coverage: "Language Help for New York Immigrants Falls Short." New York Times, July 6, 2010.