Armstrong Flight Research Center 

Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity 

Mail Code D-1023 

P.O. Box 273 

Edwards, CA 93523-0273 

661-276-3033

Glenn Research Center 

Office of Equal Opportunity Programs 

Mail Stop 500-311 

21000 Brookpark Road 

Cleveland, OH 44135 

216-643-2323

Goddard Space Flight Center 

Equal Opportunity Programs 

Office Mail Code 120 

Greenbelt, MD 20771-0001 

301-286-7348

Headquarters 

Equal Opportunity and Diversity Management 

300 E Street SW 

Room 4F39 

Washington, DC 

202-358-1090

Johnson Space Center 

Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity 

Mail Stop AJ 

Houston, TX 77058-3696 

281-483-1098

Kennedy Space Center 

Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity 

Mail Stop AJ 

Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899

321-807-9175

Langley Research Center 

Office of Equal Opportunity Programs 

Mail Stop 378 

Hampton, VA 23681 

757-884-3290

Marshall Space Flight Center 

Equal Opportunity Office 

Mail Stop CEO1 

Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 

256-544-2411

Stennis Space Center 

Office of Equal Opportunity 

Mail Stop AAOO 

Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 

228-688-2079

Wallops Flight Facility 

Equal Opportunity Programs Office 

Mail Stop 120 

Wallops Island, VA 23337 

757-824-1412

Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

Employee Relations Office 

Mail Stop TI720-D 

4800 Oak Grove Drive Pasadena, CA 91109 

818-354-5789

For further information and more detailed guidance, visit 

https://www.lep.gov.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Affirming Access to LEP Persons in

Programs Assisted and Conducted by NASA

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of National 

Origin/Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov
Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

In the United States, there is an ever-growing population 

of individuals whose primary language is not English. The 

Federal Government and entities receiving Federal financial assistance must take reasonable steps to ensure that 

LEP persons have meaningful access to the programs, 

services, and information those entities provide. This will 

require Federal agencies and private-sector organizations alike to think “outside the box” for creative solutions 

to address the needs of those individuals.

Who Is a Limited English Proficient Person?

Persons who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, speak, 

write, or understand English are considered LEP. These 

individuals may be entitled to language assistance with 

respect to a particular type of service, benefit, or activity 

provided by the Federal Government or private-sector 

recipients of Federal financial assistance.

Who Must Comply and Who Can Be Found in Violation?

All programs and operations of entities that receive assistance from the Federal Government (i.e., recipients), 

including state agencies, local agencies, and private 

and nonprofit entities.

• Subrecipients (entities that receive Federal funding

from one of the recipients listed above) also must comply.

• All programs and operations of the Federal Government

itself (both federally conducted and federally assisted

programs) must comply.

Legal Authority

Title Vl of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

“No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of 

race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to 

discrimination under any program or activity receiving 

Federal financial assistance.” 42 U.S.C.5 2000d

In the case of Lau v. Nichols (1974), 414 U.S. 563, the 

United States Supreme Court found that national origin 

discrimination encompasses discrimination based on 

a person’s limited or complete inability to speak, read, 

write, or understand English, where English is not that 

person’s native language.

Recipients and the

Federal Government

Executive Order 13166:

(Improving Access to Persons with Limited English

Proficiency)

This order was issued on August 11, 2000, directing

Federal agencies to do the following:

• Publish guidance on how their recipients can

provide access to LEP persons.

• Break down language barriers by implementing consistent standards of language assistance across Federal agencies and amongst all recipients of Federal

financial assistance.

• Improve the language accessibility of federally conducted programs and activities.

Recipient Obligations

Four-Factor Analysis

Recipients of Federal financial assistance have an obligation to reduce language barriers that can preclude meaningful access by LEP persons to important Government 

services. (The same obligations apply to Federal Government agencies based on Executive Order 13166.) The 

starting point for determining whether there has been a 

denial of meaningful access is an individualized assessment that balances the following four factors:

1. The number or proportion of LEP persons eligible to be 

served or likely to be encountered by the program or

grantee/recipient;

2. The frequency with which LEP individuals come in

contact with the program;

3. The nature and importance of the program, activity, or

service provided by the program to people’s lives; and

4. The resources available to the grantee/recipient and costs.

Elements of an Effective LEP Policy

• ldentify LEP persons who need language assistance.

• Identify ways in which language assistance will be provided.

• Train staff.

• Provide notice to LEP persons.

• Monitor and update LEP policy.

Language Assistance Services

• Oral interpretation services

• Bilingual staff

• Telephone interpreter lines

• Written language services

• Community volunteers

Filing a Complaint Under Title VI 

of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as 

Amended

Any LEP person who believes he/she has been denied 

meaningful access to a NASA recipient’s program or 

activity as a result of the recipient’s failure to provide 

language assistance may file a complaint of discrimination pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

A complaint must be filed within 90 days of the alleged 

discrimination, unless the time for filing is extended by 

NASA’s Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity (ODEO) 

for good cause.

What To Include In Your Complaint

Any person wishing to file a complaint should submit in 

writing the following information:

• Your name and address (a telephone number where

you can be reached during business hours is helpful,

but not required);

• A general description of the person(s) or class of

persons injured by the alleged failure to provide language services (names of the injured persons are not

required);

• The name and location of the recipient of NASA financial assistance that failed to provide language assistance; and

• A description of the alleged failure to provide language

assistance in sufficient detail to enable the ODEO to

understand what occurred.

Retaliation Is Illegal

It should be noted that NASA recipients may not retaliate 

against any person who has made a complaint, testified, 

assisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation or proceeding under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 

1964, as amended.

Where To Send Your Complaint

Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity 

300 E Street SW 

6th Floor 

Washington, DC 20546

Telephone: 202-358-2180

TDD: 202-358-3748 

Fax: 202-358-3336 

E-mail: civilrightsinfo@nasa.gov

Seeking Meaningful Access 

to NASA-Conducted Programs 

and/or Activities

Any person with LEP wishing to participate in 

a NASA-conducted program and/or activity 

who needs other-than-English language 

assistance may request such language services in 

writing, by tele-phone, personally, or through a 

personal interpreter. It is recommended that the 

request be made prior to the beginning of the 

NASA-conducted program and/or activity in order 

to ensure that the language services requested 

can be provided in an efficient and timely manner. 

In order to ensure that NASA will be able to 

comply with your request, please give the 

Agency as much notice as possible. Language 

assistance services are free of charge.

Where To Send Your Request for Language Assistance in 

Order To Access and or Participate in a NASA-Conducted 

Program and/or Activity

Any person with LEP wishing to participate in a 

NASA-conducted program and/or activity may 

request language assistance under Executive Order 

13166 by contacting any of the following NASA 

installations:

Ames Research Center

Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity 

Mail Stop 19-5 

Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000 

650-604-6510