Nation-wide Language Accessibility Initiative

Proposal Overview

2

History of this initiative

• Kentucky history– 15 programs - only 33% had access to telephone interpreters

– Bowling Green, Hopkinsville, Covington, Lexington, Louisville

– $3.56 / minute

• Research– Cyracom ($2.20/ min), Language Line ($3.56 -$2.20 /min) and

Pacific Interpreters ($1.50/ min in 2004)

Why Pacific Interpreters specifically?• Medical Interpreting

• Floating Rate (specific to PI)

• Training of interpreters collaboration

• Bridging the Gap connection

• Umbrella mechanism

• Cost

So What Happened? • Programs allowed KDVA to create an umbrella account

– Now pay $1.20/ minute maximum– ALL programs joined – Large programs get a discount, small programs get access at the lowest price

available

• 100% of all KDVA programs now have access to interpreters 24 hours per day

• 66% of all KDVA programs use the service on a regular basis (up from 33%)

• KDVA uses approximately 22,000 minutes per year – In 2o04, KDVA programs used approximately 6,700 minutes – 70% increase overall– Has grown to include: All rape crisis centers and Legal Aid Programs and

working on others

What we propose

• Propose the expansion of KDVA’s umbrella -->

national umbrella– Goal 1: Decrease the cost of telephone interpreters to programs that

currently are accessible or want to be language accessible

immediately.

– Goal 2: Increase language accessibility nationwide to the benefit of

our sister organization’s budgets

– Goal 3: Comply with Federal Law

– Goal 4: Pool resources to the benefit of organizational budgets and

accessible services

Series of Webinars

giving overview of

the initiative

Series of Webinars

giving overview of

the initiative

Sign up for an

account under the “KDVA” umbrella at online “survey”

Sign up for an

account under the “KDVA” umbrella at online “survey”

Technical assistance

to programs

and information

to those that need

more information

Technical assistance

to programs

and information

to those that need

more information

TA and supportTA and support

Timeline

September 2012

Enrollment Webbing - give programs the opportunity to sign up after they have an overview and

the opportunity to ask

questions

October 2012

Enrollment Webbing #2 and follow

up with attendees

from September

2012

November 2012

Enrollment Webbing #3 and follow up

with attendees

from September

and October 2012

December 2012

Enrollment Webbing #4 and follow

up with attendees from Sept,

Oct and Nov 2012

Timeline

Details

• Link to survey to capture enrollment information (billing information)

completed: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEJFS0Q5WVZhZnV4UWdZWk1ubkFLR2c6MA

• Rates have been preliminarily established

• Programs and coalitions join the “network” - via link and follow up

with PI/ KDVA

• You only pay for minutes used - but when you DO use the service, your

usage contributes to lower rates for the group and you are able access

the service at the lowest possible rate because of the usage by other

programs

• There is no charge if you don’t use the service

Identified challenges• Languages not found

• KDVA staff have found that this has not happened very often - in 8

years of usage • 1 example - A caller spoke a Micronesian language (approx. 20K people in

the world speak it). By now, staff are so sophisticated and well-versed in utilizing interpeters/ telephone interpretation services that she resolved the problem by searching for a new service that did offer it, getting a credit card and providing service to crisis caller :-)

• PI provides services in over 180 languages • Interpreters that didn’t understand dynamics of DV

• PI wants us to train their interpreters

• team of trainers can be recruited from among our programs

• Can set up an ongoing training plan

Minutes Used Cost Projection (using KDVA numbers) Savings

22,000 year $2.20 $48,400 46% discount

22,000 / year $1.20 $26,400 -

Avg. 1,833/ month $1.20 $2199/ month -

0-5000/ month $1.05 $23,100 / $1925 mo.$3,300 / 13% discount

5,001 - 8,000 $1.00 $22,000 / $1,833 mo.$4,400 / 17 % discount

8,001 -10,000 $0.95 $20,900 / $1,741 mo. $5,500 / 21% discount

Over 10,001 $0.90 $19,800 / $1,650 mo. $5,500 / 25% discount

National Language Access Initiative

(preliminary per minute quote)

Current Status of the Initiative

• Conversations with NNEDV

• Conversations regarding logistics with Pacific

Interpreters to plan for increased capacity

– IVR

– Training

– Technical assistance and training

• 8 years of statewide usage experience has served as a

bit of “field research”

Looking Ahead

• New Additions:

– RAINN

– National Domestic Violence Hotline (approximately 90,000 min/ year)

– (Civil) Legal Aid Organizations in Kentucky

– Children’s Advocacy Centers in Kentucky

• Transfer to NNEDV for administration so that any DV-related organization

can join at will

• Provide Continuing Education for Pacific Interpreters staff interpreters to

ensure understanding of the dynamics of DV

Isela ArrasDirector of Training, KDVA

Iarras@kdva.orgwww.kdva.org