DCTA’s LEP Plan addresses the agency’s responsibilities, as a recipient of federal financial assistance to meet the needs of individuals with limited English language skills. Executive Order 13166, titled "Improving Access to Service for Persons with LEP", indicates that differing treatment based upon a person’s inability to speak, read, write, or understand English is a type of national origin discrimination. This order applies to all state and local agencies that receive federal funds, including DCTA. DCTA receives federal assistance through the U.S. DOT, which includes the Federal Transit Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, and the Federal Highway Administration.
DCTA has developed this LEP Plan as part of its Title VI Program to help identify reasonable steps for providing language assistance to persons with LEP who wish to access services provided by the transit authority. As defined in Executive Order 13166, LEP persons are those who do not speak English as their primary language and have limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English.
In order to ensure meaningful access to programs and activities, DCTA uses the information obtained in a Four Factor Analysis to determine the specific language services that are required by the transit agency’s ridership and the appropriate methods to engage those with LEP. This analysis helps DCTA determine if it communicates effectively with LEP persons and informs language access planning and the development of passenger information.
The four-factor analysis is a local assessment outlined by the U.S. DOT that considers:
- The number or proportion of LEP persons eligible to be served or likely to be encountered by DCTA.
- The frequency with which LEP persons come into contact with DCTA services and programs.
- The nature and importance of DCTA’s services and programs in people’s lives.
- The resources available to DCTA for LEP outreach and the costs associated with that outreach.
For the purposes of this plan, statistically significant LEP groups are defined as persons with the same first language who comprise two (2) percent or more of the DCTA service area. Additionally, in accordance with the Safe Harbor provisions, DCTA provides written translation of vital documents for each eligible LEP group that constitutes five (5) percent or 1,000 persons, whichever is less, of the total population served or likely to be encountered or affected.
Based on the four-factor analysis outlined more thoroughly below, DCTA has identified Spanish speaking as an eligible population group throughout the service area and Burmese/Chin speaking individuals in the Lewisville, TX, service area.