Access Denied: The Unfulfilled Promise of the D.C. Language Access Act

In recent decades, the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area has emerged as an important gateway city for immigrants arriving in the U.S. These immigrants hail from all corners of the world, and have significantly enhanced the cultural and language diversity of the nation’s capital. The District of Columbia is now home to tens of thousands of limited English proficient and non-English proficient (LEP/NEP) persons; countless other LEP/NEP individuals are employed in D.C., do business here, or otherwise interact with the city government.