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Title VI, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. 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 says that all citizens have the right to access government programs regardless of their national origin. Since the language a person speaks and their national origin are so closely aligned, to deny services based on a person's inability to speak English is the same as denying services based on national origin. Further, to require people to provide their own interpreters is a barrier which inhibits the ability of non-English speakers to access services and, if the interpreters provided are not competent, the LEP (Limited English Proficient) person may be denied services equal in quality to those provided to non-LEP individuals. Click here for information on who should function as an interpreter for an LEP individual.
The Department of Justice, Office of Civil Rights is responsible for the enforcement of title VI.
Click here to learn more about Title VI:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/cor/coord/titlevi.htm
On August 11, 2000 , the President signed Executive Order 13166, "Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency." This Executive Order requires Federal agencies to examine the services they provide, identify any need for services to those with limited English proficiency, and develop and implement a system to provide those services so LEP persons can have meaningful access to them. The Executive Order also requires that the Federal agencies work to ensure that recipients of Federal financial assistance provide meaningful access to their LEP applicants and beneficiaries.
It is important to note who is considered to be a recipient of federal funds. According to the DOJ:
Federal financial assistance includes, but is not limited to, grants and loans of federal funds; grants or donations of federal property; training; details of federal personnel; or any agreement, arrangement, or other contract which has as one of its purposes the provision of assistance.
Click here to learn more about Executive Order 13166:
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/cor/13166.htm
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