Civil Rights Organizations Applaud Settlement On Language Rights Complaint
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 3, 1999
SAN FRANCISCO–On May 27, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights announced a settlement with Contra Costa County Department of Social Services that ensures that all county services and programs are accessible to persons who are limited English proficiency.
The federal lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, the Asian Law Caucus, the Center on Poverty Law & Economic Opportunity, and the Employment Law Center.
“We applaud the settlement reached with the Contra Costa Department of Social Services,” said Luz Buitrago, Director of the Center on Poverty Law and Economic Opportunity.
“Regrettably, language minorities are all too often denied access to important services and benefits because of the failure of agencies to address language and cultural barriers,” he added. “We hope the settlement of our complaint educates both the community and public agencies that language minorities are entitled to equal rights.”
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