Seeking ‘dignity and respect’ through language access services for limited English speakers
Josina Morita’s family has been using the wrong surname for generations — all because a language barrier caused her great great great grandfather to mix up his first and last names when he arrived at Ellis Island in 1854.
“His first name became our family name — it’s like walking around with the last name ‘Bob’ for 100 years,” said the Cook County commissioner for the 13th District, which encompasses parts of Chicago and several north suburbs.
Through tears, Morita also described a friend who had to translate her parents’ divorce proceedings when there was no courtroom translator available that day.
“Language access is not just about translation and interpretation or compliance and coordination or even cultural competency — it’s about dignity and respect, and it is about equity and inclusion,” Morita told a group gathered Wednesday morning. “Think of what the lack of language access can look like: delayed or denied due process, HIPAA violations and even life and death.”
