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10 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> Public Engagement Plan SHORT RANGE TRANSIT PLAN <br /> Outreach Efforts for EJ Populations and <br /> Communities of Concern <br /> Orange County meets federal thresholds for EJ populations. Considerations will be made to ensure EJ <br /> populations are notified and aware of project public engagement opportunities. Outreach efforts will <br /> focus on outreach to and discussions with community partners, stakeholder groups, local <br /> organizations, and other community groups that serve senior, lower income and minority residents. <br /> Hardcopies of all information will be provided upon request to participants and distributed to <br /> community partners for those who do not have access to reliable internet. Additionally, the timing <br /> and format of outreach efforts will be held in consideration of public transit schedules and locations <br /> and childcare needs. <br /> LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY <br /> POPULATIONS <br /> Federal guidelines state that special accommodations are required if: <br /> ■ a language group that speaks English less than very well in the outreach area has 1,000 <br /> adults <br /> ■ or a language group that speaks English less than very well in the outreach area makes up 5 <br /> percent of the aggregate population (with at least 50 adults) <br /> Orange County meets the federal threshold for Limited English Proficiency (LEP) accommodations for <br /> Spanish-speaking individuals. The highest percentage of LEP individuals (2.4 percent) speak Spanish <br /> with 2,791 adults. This is followed by Asian/Pacific languages at 1.9 percent. This is compared to 4.7 <br /> percent of North Carolina residents with a primary language other than English, where 3.2 percent <br /> speak Spanish as a primary language and 0.8 percent speak an Asian/Pacific language. The presence <br /> of LEP Spanish speaking populations in Orange County are shown in Figure 2—Percent of LEP <br /> Spanish Populations in Orange County. <br /> Outreach Efforts for LEP Populations <br /> To ensure that LEP populations are proportionately represented and included in the public <br /> engagement process, all public-facing materials including informational handouts, surveys, etc., will <br /> be available in English and Spanish at an 8t"-grade reading level standard or lower. All media, <br /> particularly advertising and promotion will be provided in non-English publications as well. Public <br /> facing project materials will be translated into additional languages as requested. Meeting notices <br /> will include contact information to request language interpretation or other special accommodations. <br /> At least one meeting will be focused on Spanish-speaking residents and advertised heavily by <br /> working with community partners. Other interpretation services will be offered as necessary using <br /> County services. <br /> Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates 2-5 <br />