When it comes to accessing legal information and resources, language should never be a barrier. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that roughly 24.8% of Ohio’s Spanish-speaking households — approximately 62,000 people — live below 100% of the federal poverty level.
Ohio Legal Help, a Foundation grantee that leverages technology and innovation to improve justice and fairness for all Ohioans, addressed this need head-on when it launched a Spanish version of www.ohiolegalhelp.org. Funded through a grant from the Ohio State Bar Foundation, the translated site includes content on housing, consumer, family, and other core topics to support the legal needs of Spanish-speaking Ohioans.
“We identified Spanish as the first language to prioritize for translation,” said Ohio Legal Help Executive Director Susan Choe. “With the Spanish site, we’re able to expand to a wider community and help Spanish-speaking Ohioans address their legal challenges.”
Ohio Legal Help is also helping new Americans through its recently added immigration module. The module offers resources on naturalization, green cards, immigration visas, and more and is available in both English and Spanish. Funded by the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation, the module supports the Foundation’s strategic priorities to grow inclusion in civil legal services.
“Thousands of Ohioans visit Ohio Legal Help every day to access reliable and trustworthy legal information,” said Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Executive Director Angie Lloyd. “As Ohio Legal Help’s content and services continue to expand, the Foundation is so pleased to support this critical resource for new Americans and for all Ohioans.”
Visit Ohio Legal Help at www.ohiolegalhelp.org. Users can access the Spanish language Ohio Legal Help at www.ohiolegalhelp.org/es. Community partners interested in requesting Ohio Legal Help’s collateral in English and Spanish should order online or contact Diana Wiebe for more information.