Language Access Plan
The city of Rochester, New York, with an estimated population of 209,352, is a diverse community located in Western New York. As with all mid-size and large cities, Rochester benefits from thousands of residents who trace their roots to countries all over the world. Whether they are first-generation immigrants or descendants of immigrants, many in the Rochester community speak a wide variety of languages, and many speak little or no English.
In addition, Rochester is home to one of the largest deaf and hard-of-hearing populations in the nation. Since 1876, when the Rochester School for the Deaf was established, and reinforced in 1965 with the opening of RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf, the community is a welcoming place for people who communicate through American Sign Language (ASL).
As the City provides a myriad of services to its diverse population, it is important that City staff members are capable of serving those who face barriers to understanding spoken English. The City intends for all of its residents to enjoy the services and amenities of this community and strives to make reasonable accommodations for non-English speakers.
The City of Rochester has prepared this Language Access Plan (“LAP” or “Plan”), which defines the actions to be taken by the City to ensure meaningful access to services, programs and activities on the part of persons who have limited English proficiency (LEP persons) 1.