For many Asian Americans on Long Island, understanding English is not only a challenge – it is also a barrier to essential services and the right to vote, and it contributes to discrimination.

A report by the Asian American Institute for Research and Engagement (AAIRE) – a Long Island-based nonprofit organization – and Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies (NCSS) surveyed Long Island Asian Americans.

It uncovered various obstacles among Asian American Long Islanders due to language barriers.

“The impact that they have on the Asian community in Long Island is that it stops them from receiving the essential services that they should receive,” AAIRE’s president, Farrah Mozawalla, said.

The report, titled “Asian American Language Accessibility Assessment: Breaking Barriers and Bridging Gaps,” found that 51.8% of respondents said language barriers directly affected their ability to vote. It additionally found that 59% of Asian Americans reported their family members experiencing barriers to non-emergency healthcare.

“Because there’s such a lack of that culturally competent staff, I think there’s a hesitation with these communities to reach out,” Mozawalla said.

The survey also shows that Asian Americans may experience a significant amount of discrimination based on their accent, ability to communicate in English and religion.

According to the report, 67% of all Asian Americans who have difficulty communicating

in English have experienced discrimination based on their accent. Additionally, 77.8% of respondents have experienced discrimination based on their race or ethnicity.

Mozawalla said that to counteract the language barriers, public service providers should train and hire culturally competent staff to alleviate these limitations on the Asian community.

“The Asian community is growing so fast here on Long Island; it’s really important for providers to hire and train diverse staff,” Mozawalla said. “Google Translate is available, where they can translate their documents and then have somebody who is culturally competent, who understands [their] language, go over those documents to make sure there’s no mistakes.”