Community Engagement and Collaboration

The New York State Office of Language Access (OLA) has four pillars, based on a series of assessment activities, to build a strong foundation and inform long-term planning:

• Compliance with the Law
• Operational Excellence
• Education and Awareness
• Community Outreach and Collaborations

OLA is deeply committed to strengthening the Community Outreach and Collaborations pillar by fostering strong, sustainable and meaningful partnerships with community-based and non-profit organizations across New York State. 

By supporting and collaborating with trusted organizations, OLA can expand the reach of language access resources, promote equitable service delivery and ensure that all communities can fully participate in public life regardless of the language they speak. 

Through ongoing outreach and tailored support, OLA is dedicated to empowering these organizations as key allies in advancing language access and language justice across New York State. 

OLA’s Outreach Plan outlines a comprehensive strategy for engaging community-based and non-profit organizations, advocates and government partners in increasing awareness of language access rights and removing linguistic barriers to critical services. 

The finalized plan incorporates feedback from community-based and non-profit organizations and the New York State Language Access Coordinators.

A summary of the outreach plan is included below. To view the full plan, click on the “View the Outreach Plan” button. For any questions about this plan, contact OLA at [email protected].

Summary 

The Outreach Plan aims to open channels of communication, improve the way community feedback is gathered and foster collaboration with organizations and other government agencies. 

To achieve these goals, OLA has outlined five key strategies:

1. Strengthen Partnerships with Community-Based Organizations, Nonprofit Organizations, and Advocates through regular group feedback sessions and one-on-one meetings, community education workshops, and a dedicated online resource page.
2. Strengthen Partnerships with New York State Government Agencies through ongoing meetings and collaborations with to the goal of improving access to state services for all New Yorkers, including American Sign Language (ASL) users.
3. Strengthen Partnerships with Other Government Agencies that make up the nationwide Municipal Language Access Network (MLAN) through ongoing meetings and resource sharing.
4. Launch Targeted Public Awareness Initiatives that inform the public about their language access rights, how to provide language access related feedback, and commemorative days related to language access.
5. Create and Distribute a Quarterly Language Access Newsletter that contains office updates, resources and event information to be shared with internal and external stakeholders.

If you would like to learn more about the plan in languages other than English, please contact OLA at [email protected]. 

View the Outreach Plan

Community-based and non-profit organizations may be eligible to become authorized users of the New York State Centralized Language Services Contract, which is managed by the Office of General Services (OGS), the parent agency of the Office of Language of Access. Under this contract, authorized users have access to vetted contractors and negotiated rates for language services, including interpretation, translation, desktop publishing, closed captioning, and subtitling. Authorized users may contact the contractors and pay for services directly.

If your organization is interested, watch the How to Become an Authorized User of the Centralized Language Services Contract video for more information and submit the Charitable Organization Application package.

For any questions on becoming an authorized user, contact OGS Procurement Services at [email protected] or (518) 474-6717.

Community-based and non-profit organizations may request to borrow OLA’s Simultaneous Interpretation Kits (SIKs) at no cost. 

The SIKs can be used for simultaneous interpretation in group settings like public meetings and conferences. The available kits can support up to 4 languages and 60 attendees. They are loaned out on a first-come, first-served basis. 

To borrow a SIK, please follow these steps:

• Fill out and sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU): MS Word version | PDF version (only needed for initial requests), then email the MOU to [email protected].
• Complete the OLA Questionnaire for Language Access Advocate Organizations (only needed for initial requests), to help OLA better serve the communities using the SIKs.
• Complete the Form to Borrow an SIK for each request. 

Please note: The OLA SIK Loan Program provides interpretation equipment only. Your organization is responsible for securing and coordinating with interpreters and paying them directly for their services (if applicable). If your organization would like to become an authorized user of the New York State Centralized Language Services Contract and have access to vetted contractors at negotiated rates, refer to the Statewide Centralized Language Services Contract section of this page.

OLA offers language access toolkit materials to community-based and non-profit organizations at no cost.

The toolkit is intended to inform New Yorkers who prefer non-English languages about their language access rights and to allow them to communicate with staff at the organization or agency where they seek benefits or services. 

The toolkit includes: 

• “I Speak” cards, which individuals can use to show staff which language they speak or sign.
• The “Your Language Access Rights in New York State” brochure, which informs New Yorkers about their language access rights in New York State. It is available in 26 languages, including English.
• The Language Identification Desktop Display: Top Languages (11”x17”x0.25”), which can be used to help staff identify the language an individual speaks or signs. The display features the top 36 most common non-English languages spoken by New Yorkers. Language Identification Desktop Display: Additional Languages (11”x17”x0.25”) offers an additional 25 languages.
  • These items are also available in a bigger size (36”x24”x0.25”).

If interested, please follow these steps:

1. Complete the OLA Questionnaire for Language Access Advocate Organizations (only needed for initial requests), to help OLA better serve the communities using the toolkits.
2. Fill out the Toolkit Print Order Form and email it to [email protected].

OLA welcomes invitations to in-person, hybrid or virtual events hosted by community-based and non-profit organizations. Events like language access workshops, presentations, conferences, cultural celebrations and other similar gatherings allow us to build meaningful connections with organizations and community members. 

If your organization would like to invite OLA to an event, please fill out and submit the Event Invitation Form.

Event Invitation Form

Please note that attendance is subject to staff availability and approval by the New York Office of General Services, the New York State Division of Budget or the New York State Governor’s Office, as necessary.  When making requests to OLA, please allow ample time for the review and approval. 

For any questions, contact the New York State Office of Language Access at [email protected].

For additional language access resources, visit the Language Access Resources page.