By JoseMaria Donoso
City of Madison

More than two years ago, the English/Spanish bilingual employees of the City of Madison formed the Latino Community Engagement Team with the goal of collaborating with all city agencies. Our mission is to make the City of Madison a more welcoming environment for Spanish speakers. Our vision is to support and improve the services provided by different city agencies in an equitable manner, focusing on Spanish-speaking communities.

With this in mind, we have been collaborating in different projects for the past few years. One of these projects is the articles in Spanish and English that we are publishing in this newspaper. In addition, we have an ongoing collaboration with the Department of Civil Rights to develop the “Language Access Plan” that was adopted last February. As part of this plan, the City of Madison offers written translations and oral interpretations free of cost. This service is available in almost any language, but primarily focuses on serving Spanish, Hmong and Chinese Mandarin speakers. The City of Madison wants to ensure that any individual with limited English proficiency or other barriers that limit their ability to communicate in English, can participate in the programs, benefits and activities that the city offers.

The Latino Community Engagement Team is committed to enhancing accessibility and inclusivity in the City of Madison and all of our members are available to help or guide you in anything you need. For more information, you can contact JoseMaria Donoso by calling 266.4216 or by writing an email to jdonoso@cityofmadison.com.