Social Security Publishes Native Language Action Plan to Improve Access to Our Programs and Services

We have published our first Native Language Action Plan to improve access to our programs and services. Our focus is on increasing our support to people who primarily communicate in native languages.

In our new Tribal Consultation and Call to Action Plan, we outline our commitment to engage in consultation and outreach in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities. We created this multi-pronged approach following many discussions with Tribal leaders.

One of our priorities is to promote the availability of interpreter services for people who prefer to conduct business in their native language.

Our goal is to make sure our AIAN customers are aware that we can arrange and pay for interpreter services during Social Security appointments. Upon request, we can provide free interpreters to people who speak Navajo, Choctaw, and Alaskan Native languages, to name a few. You can learn more about our free interpreter services here.

Because we recognize it can be challenging to understand our programs and benefits, we are also committed to:

• Partnering with organizations to market our information using TV monitors in clinics, Indian Health Service lobbies, senior citizen centers, and other facilities on or near Tribal communities.
• Producing posters to display in our offices promoting the various ways we can support native languages.
• Providing updates at our Office of Communications' Quarterly Advocates meeting and asking for feedback on how to best support native languages.
• Continuing to conduct Tribal Listening Sessions at national conferences to measure our progress in Tribal communities.
• Releasing Dear Tribal Leader and Dear Urban Indian Organization Leader letters with up-to-date information about language support.
• Actively recruiting and hiring bilingual employees to better support our customers in their native languages.

To learn more about our many Tribal resources, please visit our AIAN page.

For more information about our mission to improve equity and access to our services for all our customers who primarily communicate in languages other than English, visit our Advancing Equity page.

Tags:General Information, social security, SSA