Funding Solutions for Independence

AATLF Federal Compliance Statements and Language Assistance Plan

Federal Compliance

Appalachian Assistive Technology Loan Fund, Inc (AATLF) is a CDFI Certified by the United States Department of the Treasury and accredited by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. AATLF complies with the following federal statutes:

  • Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin (including limited English proficiency), be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
  • The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of age, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
  • Title IX of 1972 states that no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 states that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
  • The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (having one or more children under 18), and disability. It is illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing, including against individuals seeking a mortgage or housing assistance, or to discriminate in other housing-related services or activities.

Nondiscrimination Policy

In alignment with both state and federal regulations, including Title VI and Section 504, the Appalachian Assistive Technology Loan Fund (AATLF) upholds a policy of non-discrimination. This policy strictly prohibits discrimination based on race, disability, color, national origin, age, gender, creed, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Should you wish to file a discrimination complaint, please direct your correspondence to the Department of Treasury, Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity, located at 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20220, contact them via phone at (202) 622-1160, or send an e-mail to: crcomplaints@treasury.gov.

Notice to Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons

AATLF has taken proactive and reasonable steps to ensure that individuals with limited English proficiency have meaningful access to program information and services.

Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities

AATLF offers everyone an equal opportunity to benefit from its federally funded programs and services. This includes making reasonable modifications and ensuring that communication with people with disabilities is as effective as communication with others.

Reasonable Modifications for Individuals with Disabilities

AATLF primarily serves people with disabilities. AATLF makes reasonable modifications to policies, practices, or procedures when necessary to avoid discrimination based on disability without imposing undue administrative or financial burdens.

Program Access

AATLF conducts its services, programs, or activities in a way that is readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. Examples range from: accessible webinars with ASL and other languages interpretation to CART captioning on webinars to making all publications, website, and loan application 508-compliant to making our office wheelchair accessible.

Provision of Language Services

We have four staff members who are native or fluent Spanish speakers. These staff members have the ability to communicate with Spanish-speaking clients who are seeking products and services through our organization. We also contract with a language services agency that provides telephone translation/interpretation in more than 230 other languages.

Awareness of Free Language Assistance Services

AATLF ensures that LEP individuals know about the availability of free-of-charge language assistance services. This includes posting information about free language assistance services on our website and in our promotional materials and presentations.

Language Assistance Plan (LAP)

AATLF’s service areas are the Commonwealths of Pennsylvania and Kentucky. With regard to assisting program participants who may have limited English proficiency, AATLF has completed a Limited English Proficiency (LEP) assessment utilizing Census Bureau and American Community Survey data to identify LEP populations. LEP populations include:

LEP populations in Pennsylvania include:

  • 12.3% of Pennsylvania’s population age five and older speak a language other than English at home, including 5% — representing 614,290 persons — who speak English less than “very well” (LEP), according to 2022 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates Data Profiles (DP02, Selected Social Characteristics).
  • LEP households comprising the 5% who speak English less than “very well” include:
    • Spanish, 2.5% (302,763 persons)
    • Other Indo-European Languages, 1.2% (150,484 persons)
    • Asian and Pacific Islander languages, 1% (126,741 persons); and
    • Other Languages, 0.3% (34,302 persons).

LEP populations in Kentucky include:

  • 5.9% of Kentucky’s population age five and older speak a language other than English at home, including 2.4% — representing 102,555 persons — who speak English less than “very well” (LEP), according to 2022 American Community Survey 5-year Estimates Data Profiles (DP02, Selected Social Characteristics).
  • LEP households comprising the 2.4% who speak English less than “very well” include:
    • Spanish, 1.2% (51,770 persons)
    • Other Indo-European Languages, 0.5% (19,571 persons)
    • Asian and Pacific Islander languages, 0.4% (16,888 persons); and
    • Other Languages, 0.3% (14,326 persons).

AATLF takes the following proactive measures to ensure meaningful access for LEP persons:

  1. Staff have copies of the Census Bureau “I Speak” cards with which to identify the primary language of the LEP person. Virtually all of AATLF staff’s interactions with applicants and borrowers occur over the phone or via email, with a rare case of video interaction, and, since inception, no AATLF borrower has physically visited the AATLF office. However, we have supplied each loan underwriter and other client-facing staff with the “I Speak” cards in the event that they can utilize the cards to identify an LEP client’s language need.
  1. AATLF posts required notice(s) describing the Federal laws prohibiting job discrimination based on race, color, sex (including pregnancy and related conditions, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, religion, age (40 and older), equal pay, disability or genetic information (including family medical history or genetic tests or services), and retaliation for filing a charge, reasonably opposing discrimination, or participating in a discrimination lawsuit, investigation, or proceeding. All staff in the office speaks English as their primary language and a few speak Spanish as well. Posters have been printed in both English and Spanish.
  1. For all LEP populations identified above, particularly in Spanish, AATLF has Equal Opportunity brochures and non-discrimination posters in the applicable languages.
  1. AATLF provides solutions for Limited English Proficiency clients and borrowers. Spanish speakers are the largest percentage of foreign language speakers whom we serve. We have translated the loan application and other key materials into Spanish, as well as all our major publications and marketing materials. AATLF has four staff members who are native or fluent Spanish speakers. These staff members have the ability to work seamlessly with Spanish-speaking clients who are seeking products and services through our organization.

    We also provide American Sign Language interpretation and CART captioning services in our virtual video / webinar presentations, and during in-person presentations, if it is requested.

    If the client requires interpretation in a language other than Spanish and English, we contract with a language interpretation service for that need.

Through its parent organization, AATLF also has a contract with Certified Languages International. Through this service AATLF can provide language interpretation through phone calls, video conferencing, and email as well as translate vital documents as needed.

AATLF staff receive training on these procedures and processes, and AATLF will conduct periodic training so that staff continue to be equipped to effectively serve LEP clients.

Contact information for filing discrimination complaints

U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity

Address: 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20220

Contact them via phone at (202) 622-1160 or send an e-mail to: crcomplaints@treasury.gov.

This page last updated on Nov 21, 2024.
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