Dear Residents, Neighbors, and Friends:
April is a month of reflection, celebration, and action for us in recognizing a few key causes related to our mission. Each celebration highlights our ongoing efforts to make our communities more accessible and inclusive to all District residents.
One of the most significant celebrations of this month is DC Language Access Month, an opportunity to reaffirm our dedication to equal access for residents with limited or no English proficiency. The DC Language Access Act of 2004 was a turning point in breaking down language barriers to basic government services.
Rosa Carrillo, Director of our Language Access Program, encourages us to remember that "we should be proud to live in a city that has taken steps to mitigate language barriers and empower communities that have been linguistically isolated." Her team marked the 20th anniversary of the Act last year with community members, advocates, and government agencies - a milestone that shows the ongoing commitment to ensuring our District government services are available to everyone Washington, DC.
Housing is a basic human right, and this April, OHR is thrilled to introduce #DCFairHousingFridays, an initiative in partnership with various DC agencies to commemorate Fair Housing Month. Every Friday in April, housing experts from agencies, such as the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Office of Disability Rights, will share educational resources and advice on fair housing rights so residents are aware of their protection under the DC Human Rights Act. Through robust training and outreach, OHR continues to advocate for fairness in housing with the aim to empower all residents to rent or purchase housing without discrimination.
Since the Fair Criminal Record Screening Act, also known as the Ban-the-Box Act, was passed, OHR has been working tirelessly to enforce the law and support returning citizens in reentry. Through the Fair Chance Initiative, we partner with key stakeholders like the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (MORCA) to remove barriers and break down stereotypes of those returning to their communities. While Second Chance Month shines a light on this issue, our work goes beyond the month of April as we continue to advocate and outreach to bring returning citizens the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.
We’re also celebrating National Deaf History Month this month, honoring deaf and hard-of-hearing achievements while recognizing historic moments that have impacted accessibility rights. OHR is proud to enforce the DC Open Movie Captioning Requirement Amendment Act to make sure DC movie theaters offer open captioning and improve the movie-going experience for our deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. By partnering with advocacy groups and the Mayor’s Office of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing (MODDHH), we’re promoting more accessibility.
April isn’t just a month of celebration - it’s a call to action. These events make us remember how much we’ve already done and invite us to move forward. Join OHR for training sessions, events and dialogue to create positive changes throughout DC. Let’s keep celebrating communities and acknowledging the work that’s still being done across the District!