Practical Strategies for Ethical Language Access Advocacy

Interpreters and advocates see the harmful consequences when public or private entities fail to provide language assistance services for language communities, but may be unsure what ethical actions they can take in response. This session will first address Executive Order 14224 and why it did not change federal, state, or local language access laws. While the federal policy shift created confusion that has led to additional harm and raised concerns about reduced federal enforcement, it has also opened opportunities for advocacy. The session will explore ethical standards for interpreters, including how professional codes guide decision-making, clarify the difference between the interpreting and advocate roles, and present a range of practical individual and group actions from low-risk steps to higher-risk strategies. Participants will learn what language access protections exist today, what ethical advocacy looks like in practice, and how to protect themselves when working to ensure meaningful access. A segment for questions and answers will conclude this session.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the state of language access today.
• Ethical considerations before you act or advocate.
• Explore specific advocacy opportunities by risk level.
• Know your rights as well as self-protection actions and strategies. ASL interpretation will be provided!

Certificates for CEUs will be issued only to those viewing the live webinar. Certificate download instructions will be emailed to attendees 24-48 hours after the webinar has taken place.