Background
Methods
LANSF CITY DEPARTMENT SPOT CHECKS
Background
LANSF uses spot checks to evaluate interactions with City departments through the lens of a Limited English Proficient ( LEP ) individual . This data has been collected from surveys conducted by LANSF members since Fiscal Year ( FY ) 2015-2016 . After encountering a City department through a public contact point in their language , LANSF members fill out an OCEIA survey that helps to identify if City departments and their employees are complying with the San Francisco Language Access Ordinance ( LAO ) by providing adequate language access to City services and information . For example , individuals may seek a wide range of information related to a City department ’ s services such as service changes to Municipal Transportation Agency bus routes , public benefits information from the Human Services Agency , or property tax information from the San Francisco Treasurer and Tax Collector . Whether through an in-person or telephonic interaction , survey respondents inquire about City information or services related to their situation and needs . Their experiences and insights provide crucial information about how well City departments are serving LEP individuals and how they can improve these services . OCEIA ’ s analysis of spot check data over the years indicates that City departments are gradually improving access to vital information and services for LEP individuals , particularly for the LAO threshold languages of Chinese , Spanish , and Filipino . However , language services for non-threshold languages , such as Arabic , Russian , and Tigrinya , have not shown the same upward trend of improvement over time .
Methods
The survey data is collected by LANSF members and their constituents through a “ mystery shopper ” method . The LANSF member attempts to access a City department through a public access point for a provided service or information in their language and records their experience during the encounter with the City department and its employees .
OCEIA analyzes the data and identifies trends from LANSF ’ s survey results .
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