Skip to main content

Continuing Professional
Education

The University of Maryland School of Social Work Office of Continuing Professional Education is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education programs and maintains full responsibility for this program. We are also approved to offer CE to Licensed Counselors and Psychologists. Clinicians in other states should verify with their licensing Board. For any questions, comments or concerns, please email cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu

Learn More

Featured Offerings

Newsletter Sign Up

Customized Workshops

Webinar

S25-709 Plain Language for Effective Communication

Total Credits: 2 Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practices CEs

Categories:: 700 Professional Growth & Development | 900 Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice | DC Public Health Priorities
Instructor:: Carol Velandia Pardo, MSW, MBA, PMP, CHI
Course Levels:: Intermediate
Duration:: 2 Hours
Target Audience:: Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists

Dates

Event Dates

Thu, Jul 31, 2025 - 01:00pm to 03:00pm EDT

Base Price is $50.00 ~~Price reduced from Late Fee pricing 70.00~~

Description

This workshop is designed for social workers who engage with diverse populations, including individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The workshop introduces the principles of plain language and explores its role in improving clarity, accessibility, and equity in social services. Participants will learn how to simplify complex messages while maintaining accuracy, ensuring that clients fully understand their rights, responsibilities, and available resources.

This workshop is in accordance and in compliance with the NASW standards with a focus on the principles of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence; and the standard of responsibilities to clients, to colleagues, in practice settings, as professionals, to the social work profession, and to the broader society.

Maryland: This workshop is in compliance with the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ COMAR 10.42.03.06.A(5). This workshop meets the requirement for Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice for the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners (COMAR 10.42.06.03.A.(1)(d)) with a focus on social justice and cultural humility.

District of Columbia: This workshop is in compliance with the District of Columbia Board of Social Work 17-70-7008.4. This also meets the continuing education requirement for DC Public Health Priorities in the following topic: 10. Implicit bias, cultural competence and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health and healthcare.

Instructor

Carol Velandia Pardo, MSW, MBA, PMP, CHI Related Seminars and Products

Access Language Services (EALS) and a recognized expert in language access policy, negotiation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). With a background in social work and interpretation, Carol has dedicated her career to ensuring equitable access to services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) populations.

Carol has developed groundbreaking training programs, including the Interprofessional Curriculum: Effective Inclusion through Language Access, which is being trademarked. She has also spearheaded language access training initiatives for government agencies, healthcare providers, and educational institutions. Her expertise extends to policy development, advocacy, and training design, helping organizations implement culturally and linguistically appropriate services.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Carol is a passionate advocate for language justice and the elimination of language-based discrimination. She has been a key contributor to language access initiatives at state and national levels, working with various agencies to improve multilingual communication. Through her work, she aims to foster a more inclusive society where language is not a barrier but a bridge to opportunity and equal access.

Agenda & Learning Objectives

AGENDA:

There will be no break during this workshop.

12:50 – 1:00 pm Log on

1:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Understanding Plain Language (15 minutes)
Identifying Communication Barriers (15 minutes)
Plain Language Techniques (30 minutes)
Interactive Exercise: Revising Documents (45 minutes)
Resources and Tools (15 minutes)

3:00 pm Adjournment

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Upon the completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Define Plain Language and explain why it is essential in social work practice
Identify Communication Barriers such as jargon, legalistic terms, and unclear instructions that create barriers to service access.
Apply Plain Language Principle for a better Cross-Cultural and Linguistic Accessibility

Bibliography & References

BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES

August, T., Lo, K., Smith, N. A., & Reinecke, K. (2024). Know your audience: The benefits and pitfalls of generating plain language summaries beyond the "general" audience. arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.04979.

August, T., Wang, L. L., Bragg, J., Hearst, M. A., Head, A., & Lo, K. (2022). Paper Plain: Making medical research papers approachable to healthcare consumers with natural language processing. arXiv preprint arXiv:2203.00130.

Center for Plain Language. (n.d.). Five steps to plain language. Retrieved from https://centerforplainlanguage.org/learning-training/five-steps-plain-language/

Cheung, I. W. (2017). Plain language to minimize cognitive load: A social justice perspective. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 60(4), 448–457. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPC.2017.2765278

Federal Election Commission. (2024, April 13). Plain language report. Retrieved from https://www.fec.gov/about/plain-language/

International Organization for Standardization. (2023). ISO 24495-1:2023(en): Plain language — Part 1: Governing principles and guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.iso.org/standard/79637.html

Kimble, J. (2016). The proof is in the reading: Solid evidence that plain language works best. Michigan Bar Journal, 95(10), 52–53. Retrieved from https://www.michbar.org/file/barjournal/article/documents/pdf4article2972.pdf

National Archives. (2023, February 25). Top 10 principles for plain language. Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/open/plain-writing/10-principles.html

National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). Plain language at NIH. Retrieved from https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director/office-communications-public-liaison/clear-communication/plain-language

Nygren, M. A. (2022). Using the principles of plain language to improve knowledge transfer and facilitate informed decision making. HELEN: The Journal of Human Exceptionality, 1(4), 22–27. Retrieved from https://www.aaidd.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/helen-reprint.pdf?sfvrsn=a4183d21_0

Plain Language Action and Information Network. (2011). Federal plain language guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/

Plain Language Network. (n.d.). Plain language around the world. Retrieved from https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/plain-language-around-the-world/

U.S. Department of Labor. (n.d.). Plain language at the U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/general/plainwriting

U.S. Office of Personnel Management. (n.d.). Plain language. Retrieved from https://www.opm.gov/information-management/plain-language/

WordRake. (2023, March 15). Complying with federal plain language guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.wordrake.com/blog/federal-plain-language-guidelines

Course Completion & CE Information

Category I Maryland BSWE Requirement

The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work is authorized by the Board of Social Work Examiners in Maryland to sponsor social work continuing education programs. This workshop qualifies for 2 Category I Continuing Education Units for anti-oppressive social work practices. The Office of Continuing Professional Education is also authorized by the Maryland Board of Psychologists and the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors to sponsor Category A continuing professional education.

ASWB Information

University of Maryland School of Social Work Office of Continuing Professional Education, #1611, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 2/11/2024-2/11/2027.

To receive ACE credit, full attendance is required; no partial credits will be given for partial attendance.

Certificate Access

To access the evaluation and certificate, click on the orange certificate button in your CPE account. Once you complete the evaluation, access to the certificate will be available.

Live Interactive Webinars (Cat I) and Live Webinars (Cat II) - Allow up to 30 minutes post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate.

In Person Trainings - Please allow five (5) business days post-training for attendance to be verified, then you will be able to access the evaluation and certificate.

Please refer to the tab "Live Interactive Webinar Policies & FAQs" for UMSSW Office of CPE policies regarding all live interactive webinar related matters. Contact our office at cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu for more information.

Evaluation

Participants will have access to the evaluation after attendance has been verified. Evaluations will be available for one (1) week after the workshop has ended.

After one (1) week, participants will no longer have access to the evaluation and will have to contact CPE about reactivation.

Target Audience

Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists

We welcome anyone interested in the topic!

Late Fees and Refunds

The base price is $50, which includes CE credit.

Cancellations: **ALL cancellations will be subjected to a $35.00 administration fee.** To be eligible for a refund or CPE account credit, cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the workshop.

For more information, please read the general policies on our website.

Live Interactive Webinar Platforms

LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBINAR PLATFORMS

The Office of Continuing Professional Education hosts Live Interactive Webinars through Zoom. This platform offers a high quality and user-friendly webinar platform for our registrants.

System Requirements:

Operating Systems: Windows XP or higher; MacOS 9 or higher; Android 4.0 or higher.
Internet Browser: Google Chrome; Firefox 10.0 or higher.

Our system is not compatible with the Safari web browser.

Broadband Internet Connection: Cable, High-speed DSL and any other medium that is internet accessible.

**Please have your device charging at all times to ensure that your device does not lose power during the webinar.

Course Interaction Requirements:

To participate in Live Interactive Webinars, you MUST have a device that allows you to view the presentation on screen and hear the instructor at all times. We do not allow participants to call-in from their phones or mobile devices and solely listen to the presentation. Participation in Live Interactive Webinars is mandatory.

Our webinar policies can be found on our website by clicking here.

Webinar Policies & FAQs

Click The Link to View The Webinar Policies & FAQs

https://umbsswcpe.ce21.com/Page/live-interactive-webinar-procedures-policies-4129

Code of Conduct

The Office of Continuing Professional Education at the University of Maryland School of Social Work adheres to the NASW Code of Ethics. This policy is to ensure that the training environment for social work professionals remains respectful, productive, and conducive to learning. Disruptive behavior that interferes with the learning process, disrupts the training experience for others, or undermines the integrity of the program will not be tolerated.

Expectations for Participant Engagement:

In alignment with the NASW Code of Ethics and the University of Maryland Baltimore Code of Conduct, participants are expected to demonstrate professionalism, which includes respecting confidentiality, maintaining a collaborative and respectful tone, and contributing positively to the group dynamic. Disclosures made during the training (e.g., case studies or personal reflections) must be handled with care and in accordance with ethical and legal guidelines.

All participants in the training program are expected to:

Engage actively in the learning process and show respect for the opinions and contributions of others.
Demonstrate professionalism in both attitude and behavior, maintaining respect for instructors, peers, and the training environment.
Maintain open communication by expressing concerns or disagreements constructively and respectfully.
Follow the guidelines and expectations provided by instructors and facilitators.
Support a collaborative learning environment where all participants feel valued and safe to contribute.

Instructors and CPE staff reserve the right to dismiss participants who do not adhere to ethical/professional principles and standards. If removed, CEs will be adjusted to reflect the time attended, unless otherwise specified.

ADA Accommodations

If you are requesting ADA accommodations, please contact our office via email at least two weeks prior to the workshop date. Requests after that date may not be fulfilled.

Our email address is cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu.

Back to Top