The 6th Annual Canadian Health and Wellbeing in Developmental Disabilities Conference
The Canadian Health and Wellbeing in Developmental Disabilities Conference (HWDD) provides an interprofessional forum where health care providers and community partners engage in sharing educational and informative updates and practical innovative, promising and effective practices that improve the health and wellbeing of people with developmental disabilities across the lifespan.
Call for Abstracts
Select "Submission" when you are ready to formally submit your information. See the file below for a downloadable version of the details required for submitting an abstract. NOTE: you cannot save your progress (can only go back and edit after submitting), so ensure you have all the information ready for when you enter your submission. We recommend first collecting/saving the relevant information in a separate document before starting your submission here.
We welcome submissions on solutions and interventions that address the conference outcomes for:
Workshops - 60-minute interactive workshops will take place during virtual concurrent sessions and will be recorded; conference participants have the option to join workshop sessions live virtually or watch the recording later on
Posters - posters will be presented in a virtual poster hall, with the option of including a short video; participants can view these any time, or at assigned poster viewing times where we encourage presenters to answer live chat texts or engage in one-on-one video chats
Abstracts are also highly encouraged from:
Initiatives that include people with lived experience as co-creators and/or co-presenters
Clinicians, direct support professionals, health care providers/organizations and from students who are doing new and innovative work
Frequently Asked Questions
Find quick answers to common questions about the conference.
- Call for abstracts closes: 11:59pm EST Friday, October 16th, 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 2 weeks after closing date
- Presenter confirmation of acceptance: 1 week after notification of acceptance
Cover their own registration fee(s) (all presenters are expected to attend the conference and will receive a 20% discount off the general attendee rates; for presenters with lived experience where the organization is not able to cover their fees, additional discounts are available)
Where applicable, prior to submitting an abstract, confirm with their employer/agency that participation in the conference will be supported
Declare any commercial or financial interests
Willingness to present at the time designated by conference organizers
All submissions will be evaluated using the criteria below. Final decisions will also ensure the program offers a balance of topics and perspectives suited for a national audience.
Relevance to the conference’s audience and outcomes
Demonstration of innovative, evidence-based, solutions-focused work
Informed by, and where possible presented by, person(s) with lived experience
Clear and complete submission (e.g., use of plain language, sufficient detail)
Workshops will additionally be evaluated on:
Ability to engage participants in a creative, interactive, outcomes-based learning experience
Presentation includes voices from diverse perspectives, ideally with more than one presenter
Yes. We offer all presenters for workshops and posters a 20% discount of the General Attendee Fees (details will be provided if your abstract is accepted). For presenters with lived experience where the organization is not able to cover their fees, additional discounts are available.
It is our expectation you will attend the event; however, if this would present a barrier, please contact Megan Primeau (megan.primeau@utoronto.ca) to discuss options.
Location
Online event:
Dates
Submission period:
August 21, 2026 - 12:00 PM EDT - October 16, 2026 - 11:59 PM EDT
Contact us
If you have any questions, please contact megan.primeau@utoronto.ca
