Bridging Language for Access Equity
Publication Date
2025
Presentation Length
15 minutes
College
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
Department
Honors Program
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Amanda Nelms
SPARK Session
Mary Ellen Pethal
Presentation Type
Talk/Oral
Summary
Students and parents looking to join W.O. Smith from non-English speaking backgrounds
face inequitable access to critical information, including registration, resources, and growth
opportunities. The lack of translation and interpretation creates a demographic inequality, leaving
students from non-English speaking communities at a greater disadvantage with a lack of
representation. W.O. Smith’s communities primarily speak English, Spanish, Zomi, Burmese,
and Arabic. Creating translated content in English, Spanish, Zomi, Burmese, and Arabic of W.O.
Smith’s “Welcome/Admission” information will allow families to easily access W.O. Smith’s
services. This research utilizes a case study design to explore the impact of translated content in
the welcome video for W.O. Smith. Qualitative data is collected through an interview with the
director of W.O. Smith, to compare engagement levels after releasing the translated videos.
Recommended Citation
Garver, Nathaniel C.; Rondash, Sami; Harper England, Ava Grace; Mehta, Neil; and Ringenbach, Jack Hazel, "Bridging Language for Access Equity" (2025). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 264.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/264
