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Legal Terminology and English Idioms for Interpreters

Isabel Framer, Language Access Consultants
When interpreting, there are often words that do not have an equivalent in the target language, especially in a legal setting. A well trained interpreter will have a running glossary of terms. It is essential that the interpreter understand what the term means in English first before being able to…

Interpreter Training Programs & Associations

Moriah Nelson, Language Access Fellow
The below resources are a great place for interpreters and translators to find training opportunities and to connect with other professionals in their field. These are also excellent resources for advocates who are looking to find interpreters or create an interpreter list for their…

Boston Interpreters Collective

Boston Interpreters Collective
The Boston Interpreters Collective is dedicated to promoting a multi-lingual society by eliminating language barriers and building community. They work toward social justice by supporting community organizing through their interpretation services and language classes and popular education workshops.…

Tip Sheet for Interpreters

Maryland Legal Aid
This document was designed as an interpreting crash course for advocates who were to be used as interpreters. This is a guide that can be edited to fit your organization's training needs.

Working with an Interpreter Tip Sheets

Moriah Nelson, Language Access Fellow
Click the links below for several tips sheets on how to work with an interpreter and more effecively communicate with LEP clients. Working with Interpreters: 10 Important Tips for Communicating with Clients with Limited English Proficiency created by Greater Boston Legal Services,…

Communicating with Clients who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Tip Sheet

Moriah Nelson
The attached document is a tip sheet for how to more effectively communicate with clients who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Click "Go to Website" below to access the a short training presentation produced by the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

ILR Language Proficiency Self-Assessment

Interagency Language Roundtable
The Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) created the ILR Language Proficiency Scale as a tool to measure linguistic proficiency of United State Government employees by an objective system applicable to all languages. This is not a test to critique your language proficiency, rather a helpful tool…

List of MA GAL's and their Experience with Cases Involving Gay/Lesbian Parents, Non-Traditional Families, Gender Identity Issues or a Transgender Person

GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), New England’s leading legal rights organization dedicated to ending discrimination based on sexual orientation, HIV status and gender identity and expression, has an entire page of resources dedicated to Representing Transgender Clients in…

Language Access Plan and Protocol Template

Moriah Nelson
Any organization that interacts with limited English proficient clients and populations should have a Language Access Plan & Protocol, especially if it receives federal funding (directly or indirectly). The purpose of a Language Access Plan & Protocol is to identify your organization's…

Center on Court Access to Justice for All

National Center for State Courts (NCSC)
This website is a project of the National Center for State Courts and provides resources regarding access to justice. This particular section focused on resources for making courts more accessible to LEP Self-Represented Litigants. Click "Go to Website" below to access the…

Cultural and Linguistic Competency Resources

American Immigrant Policy Portal
The American Immigrant Policy Portal is a website that provides digests of major reports and studies focusing on policy options and model practices designed to promote immigrant integration, intergroup understanding, economic revitalization, and organizational success. "Due to cultural…

National Survey of Service Providers on Police Response to Immigrant Crime Victims, U Visa Certification and Language Access

Natalia Lee, Daniel J. Quinones, Nawal Ammar & Leslye E. Orloff
Overview The National Immigrant Women's Advocacy Project at American University Washington College of Law conducted a nationwide survey of immigrant victim’s advocates and attorneys to learn about the experiences of immigrant and Limited English Proficiency (“LEP”) victims…

Out in the Cold: Homeless Children in Crisis in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
From the Executive Summary of the report: "In September 2012, Massachusetts imposed new restrictions on eligibility for emergency shelter for homeless families with children. Under the new regulations, many families are not eligible for shelter until they become so desperate that their…

A Quick Look at the (Massachusetts) Legislative Committee Structure

Boston Bar Association
Click the "Go to Webiste" link below to access an informative blog post with an overview of the legislative committee structure in Massachsuetts,

CPCS Immigration Impact Materials / Legal Resources

Committee for Public Counsel Services
The Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) Immigration Impact Unit’s website contains many legal resources including CPCS intake form, practice advisories, training materials, newsletters, litigation materials, and information about upcoming trainings.  To access the website, click the Go To…

BC Post-Deportation Human Rights Project / Legal Resources

BC Post-Deportation Human Rights Project
The Post-Deportation Human Rights Project, based at the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College, is a pilot program designed to address the harsh effects of current U.S. deportation policies. See the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project's website for legal resources…

Fax Cover Sheet for Submitting SNAP Verifications to DTA

MLRI
Here's a sample cover sheet to use when sending on documents to DTA for a SNAP application.  It can help you identify what documents were sent, what eligibility factors they verify and if certain information can be self-attested under the SNAP rules. Make sure to save all fax receipts…

MPI Limited English Proficient Census Data and MPI LEP Data Brief

Migration Policy Institute National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy
"Today, 25.2 million individuals over the age of 5 in the United States (9 percent of the total population) have limited proficiency in English, compared with 14 million (6 percent of the total population) in 1990. This growth has been accompanied by a broad-ranging dispersal of immigrants and…

Rebuttal to Recent Press Reports of SNAP/Food Stamp Waste: No Recipient Fraud or Fault in SNAP Overpayment

MLRI
Recent news reports suggest ongoing waste of taxpayer dollars and mismanagement by DTA of the SNAP (food stamps) program, including a $27M overpayment of federal funds. Here’s what you need to know. • There was NO fraud and NO fault on the part of SNAP recipients involved. All of the…

Inspector General's Paper Chase Did NOT Find Fraud or Waste

MLRI
On January 30, 2013, the Office of the Massachusetts Inspector General issued a report called "Review of Eligibility for the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children Program."  Although the report found gaps in the Department of Transitional Assistance record keeping for cash assistance…

Consumer Control of Mental Health Information

Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee

Give Them Shelter: The Crisis for Homeless Children in Massachusetts

MLRI,
From MLRI's website: "Effective August 6, 2012, the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD) implemented new regulations that deny the vast majority of homeless families with children access to emergency shelter through the Emergency Assistance program. Public…

Intersections among Emergency Assistance, HomeBASE, and RAFT

MA Coalition for the Homeless
MA Coalition for the Homeless has created a chart illustrating the relationship between EA, RAFT and HomeBASE..  Click the "Go to Website" link below to download the chart from MCH's website.

2013 SSI Payment Levels; 2013 SSI and SSDI Threshold Amounts

Disability Law Center
Two charts:   2013 SSI payment levels in Massachusetts 2013 SSI and SSDI threshold amounts

Eradicating Stigma in Health Care Systems

Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee

New rules for replacing or changing your TAFDC or EAEDC EBT card

MLRI
Fact sheet about DTA's new rules for replacing or changing an EBT card.

Uniform matrimonial, family, and health laws locator

Legal Information Institute
The Legal Information Institute (LII) is a non-profit, public service of Cornell Law Schoolthat provides no-cost access to current American and international legal resource sources online at law.cornell.edu. LII is know as a pioneer in the delivery of legal information…

Winter Moratorium Protection Against Shutting Off Heat

MLRI
From November 15 through March 15 (sometimes extended into April), Massachusetts state law prevents utility companies from terminating service that is used to heat homes if the household is suffering financial hardship.  See M.G.L. 164, section 124F; 220 CMR 25.03 A household suffering…

Memo Re DHCD’s Proposed Changes to “Final” Emergency Assistance Regulations and Guidance

MLRI and MCH
Memo prepared by Masschasutts Law Reform Institute and Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless discussing DHCD's proposed changes to the Emergency Assistance regulations.  The memo notes that although some of the planned changes are very important and meaningful, there are still several…

Video Testimony From Two Statewide Hearings About Emergency Assistance

various
The following are links to videos of extensive testimony that was presented in October 2012 at two hearings about the impact of revised emergency assistance regulations on homeless families in Massachusetts.Testimony presented in Western Massachusetts…

Department of Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents: Children's Issues Series

GBLS
Department of Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents:  Overview of Eligibility Criteria, Application Procedure, and Services Provided. Summary prepared for the Children's Law Support Project by Deborah Filler, Senior Staff Attorney, Greater Boston Legal Services, November…

Supplemental Security Income(SSI) for Children With Disabilities

National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI)
Click the "Go to Website" link below for an excellent brief on SSI for Children with Disabilities, written by Shawn Fremstad of the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR),  and Rebecca Vallas of Community Legal Services, Philadelphia, and released by the National Academy on Social Insurance…

Racial Equity Toolkit to Assess Policies, Initiatives, Programs, and Budget Issues

Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative
From the introduction: The vision of the Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative is to eliminate racial inequity in the community. To do this requires ending individual racism, institutional racism and structural racism. The Racial Equity Toolkit lays out a process and a set of questions to…

Resource Guide for Advocates & Attorneys on Interpretation Services for Domestic Violence Victims

Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence
The Resource Guide for Advocates & Attorneys on Interpretation Services for Domestic Violence Victims was supported by a grant from the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence, Interpretation, Technical…

Calculating Rental Income for SNAP

MLRI
Thre are a number of SNAP households who have tenants, including many elders who are "empty nesters" who have rented out a portion of their homes, as well as working families who have multi-family residences or "in-law" apartments rented out. Many low income home owners have high…

Useful Documents for Attorneys Representing Asylum Seekers

National Immigrant Justice Center
Click the "Go to Website" link below to access the National Immigrant Justice Center's website, with basic documents and forms pro bono attorneys may need over the course of representing asylum seekers. The list also includes government memos and scholarly articles that provide context and an…

National Summit on Language Access in the Courts

National Center on State Courts
The National Center for State Courts is hosting a National Summit on Language Access in the Courts on October 1-3, 2012, which is sponsored by the State Justice Institute. "It will call attention to the problem of access to justice for people with limited English proficiency, and permit…

Unfinished Challenges: A Report on Human Rights and Resources in the DMH Community Based Flexible Support Model for Delivering Mental Health Services

Disability Law Center
The Disability Law Center (DLC) has released its investigative report on the Commonwealth's new model for delivering community mental health services.  The report is titled "Unfinished Challenges: A Report on Human Rights and Resources in the Community Based Flexible Supports Model for…

Questions about Federal Funding

Moriah Nelson, Volunteer Lawyers Project
Title VI applies to agencies that recieve federal funding, if you have questions as to whether a particular agency receives direct federal funding, click the "Go to Website" link below. It is important to remember, that even agencies and organizations that are sub-grantees and receive…

Massachusetts SNAP and Cash Assistance Caseload by County, City and Town - September 2012

DTA

Website for the MassHealth -Medicare dually eligible demonstration

Office of Medicaid
This website contains materials related to the Office of Medicaid proposal to integrate services for individuals under age 65 dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. It includes links to the recent Memorandum of Understanding signed by the state and federal governments regarding the…

School Discipline Questions and Answers: Children's Issues Series

Mass Advocates for Children
Where can I find information on school discipline in Massachusetts? For an overview of school discipline laws in Massachusetts, see the Children’s Law Center of MA website and read the quick reference guide on school discipline,…

USCIS DACA Fee Exemption Guidance

USCIS
The fee to request consideration of deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) is $465 and cannot be waived. However, fee exemptions are available in very limited circumstances. In order to be considered for a fee exemption you must submit a letter and supporting documentation demonstrating that…

Children’s Issues Series: Anti-Bullying Laws

Carolyn Coyne, MVNLS, and Leslie Lockhart, MAC
What laws protect students against bullying? Two Massachusetts laws are designed to help students and schools prevent bullying and deal with it when it happens.The Massachusetts laws are MGL c.71 § 37O which pertains to all school districts and students in the state, and MGL 71B §3…

Fact Sheet -- Proposed Restrictions to the Emergency Assistance Progam

MLRI
On July 17, 2012, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) gave the Legislature 60 days advance notice of proposed changes restricting access to emergency assistance (EA) shelter for homeless families with children. For more information, download this fact sheet.

Your Right to an Interpreter Poster - Editable Version

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
The "Your Right to an Interpreter" poster is attached in editable horizontal and vertical formats, which you can edit to meet the needs of your client population. PDF versions are also attached. The English text reads, "You have the right to an interpreter at no cost to you. Please…

Breaking Down Barriers Training Materials

Moriah Nelson
On June 25, 2012, the Language Access Coalition and the AmeriCorps Massachusetts Legal Assistance for Self Sufficiency Program co-sponsored a training, Breaking Down Barriers: Communicating with Clients who are LEP or Deaf/HOH. Video from the first part of the training, Working with Court…

Working with Interpreters & Interpreting - MLS Training Module

Moriah Nelson
The Massachusetts Legal Services Training Module on Working with Intepreters & Interpreting is designed for legal service advocates and service providers to learn skills that facilitate more effective communication with clients who are limited English proficient (LEP) or Deaf/Hard of Hearing…

Saving and Spending Workbook

Children's Disability Project of GBLS
All the information parents need to know in order to deal with the special rules on retroactive SSI benefits is contained in CDP’s Saving & Spending Workbook.When children are awarded SSI benefits, they are often due a substantial amount of money in retroactive benefits, which are paid into a…

BCLS Confidentiality Training Module

Faculty of Boston College Law School
This training module was prepared by faculty at Boston College Law School for use in its clinical programs. It provides an excellent introduction to some of the key concepts about the lawyers' duty of confidentiality in Massachusetts. This is an interactive training module, which includes video…