Why should we help language minorities who are citizens – shouldn they be able to read and write English fluently?
The United States encourages people who have been here for a long time and who have been contributing to society to be civically engaged. As a result, certain persons are exempt from English literacy requirements when applying for citizenship, such as the elderly who have resided in the United States for a lengthy period of time, the physically or developmentally disabled, and certain Hmong veterans who helped to save American lives during the Vietnam War and came to the United States as refugees. In addition, voting can be an intimidating and complicated process, even for voters who are native-English speakers. For new citizens whose first language is not English, the voting process is even more difficult to maneuver. Language assistance also helps native-born voters who, because of a lack of access to educational opportunities, are limited English proficient. Without language assistance, many may simply decide to bypass the whole process rather than ask for help – especially when the
Related Questions
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- Why should we help language minorities who are citizens - shouldn they be able to read and write English fluently?
