Cultural and Linguistic Appropriate Services (CLAS)

“Ultimately, disasters are characterized by many people trying to do quickly what they do not ordinarily do, in an environment with which they are not familiar.” Chan, T. C., Killeen, J., Griswold, W., & Lenert, L. (2004). Information technology and emergency medical care during disasters. Academic Emergency Medicine, 11(11), p

Title VI, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. As President John F. Kennedy said in 1963: Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races [colors, and national origins] contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes or results in racial [color or national origin] discrimination. Title VI--Civil Rights Act of 1964

 Executive Order Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency (2000)  Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act (2006)  Added limited English proficiency (and disability) to list classes protected by the Stafford Act. Must provide services in a way that does not discriminate against those with LEP  Attorney General’s 2011 Memo to Federal Agencies Reaffirming the Mandates of E.O  Expressed concern regarding lack of compliance Discrimination

 Who lives in your community?  Who may live part time in your community?  Why should you pay attention and know this ?  What is functional literacy? Do you know …

Languages Likely to be Encountered- Any missing? African Languages* Arabic Armenian Burmese Chinese French German Greek Gujarathi Hebrew Hindi Hmong Hungarian Italian Japanese Khmer Korean Laotian Navajo Persian Polish Portuguese Russian Scandinavian Serbo- Croatian Spanish Tagalog Thai Urdu Vietnamese Yiddish * Over 2500 languages spoken. Common: Amharic, Arabic, Berber, Hausa, Igbo, Oromo, Somali, Swahili, Wolof, Yoruba, Zulu

 Speaking louder does not facilitate understanding  Have language service contract in place  Test the system  Have simple and easy to follow instructions for staff on how to use the services  Identify your language needs ahead of time  Update at least yearly  Different cultures express anxiety and show empathy differently  A smile can be used to show happiness, embarrassment, fear, tension, resignation, remorse etc. What the smile means depends on the 'type' being used. In the Thai language, there are 13 different words to indicate the type of smile. Keep in mind

 Undocumented immigrants and non-citizens may choose to avoid government officials  Prior experience or practice of deportation  Be prepared to explain policy in their language  Rituals are important – prayers, amulets  Have clear and simple instructions printed in multiple languages ahead of time Keep in mind

 Social – family structure  Gender Roles  Cultural and Religious Differences  View of authority figures  Non-citizens could be wrongfully denied recovery aid due to their immigration status or because they lost important immigration documents Keep in mind

A smile and acceptance leads to a world full of clarity and connectedness.