Call for abstracts

The scientific committee for the Nordic Conference on Deafblindness, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 15th - 17th, 2026 is pleased to announce that we are now accepting abstracts for the conference.

We are looking for abstracts for courses, world cafés, workshops, short talks and posters. Read more about each of these further down on this page.

Also, please read through all the information below before submitting your abstract.

Please submit your proposal in word using the link on the bottom of the page.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: JANUARY 10th, 2026

Breaking boundaries -

The power of co-creation

The Nordic Conference on Deafblindness 2026, Breaking Boundaries - The power of co-creation, is an important event for knowledge sharing, fostering collaboration, and developing competence within the Nordic field of deafblindness.

This conference brings people together and provides a platform where we can take part in the knowledge from the community of professionals, researchers, and people with deafblindness across the Nordic region. At the conference we want to ensure that voices and perspectives from a diverse group of people are heard, shared and valued.

Co-creation is the heart of this conference, and we actively welcome input from participants as we design and deliver the program. During the conference we will create spaces for shared experiences and focus on actionable results that participants can take home – from research, workshops, courses and world cafés to new ideas that can be tested and implemented in practice, locally or at future conferences.

We believe that bringing together people from different backgrounds, professions and experiences is essential for advancing research and providing the best possible services. By learning from each other, we can overcome challenges and work more effectively. The expert networks we have across the Nordic region are key to this, and allow us to build on existing knowledge, explore new ideas and ways of working, and make sure everyone has a chance to contribute to a more inclusive future for all.

Courses or World Cafés

The Nordic Conference on Deafblindness is not only a meeting point: it is a vibrant platform for knowledge sharing and co-creation. The conference aims to foster knowledge sharing, collaborative innovation, and competency development within the community of professionals, researchers, and people with deafblindness. For this conference, the Scientific Committee invites you to be part of shaping that platform by contributing a course or a world café session.

On Wednesday, the 16th of September, from 08:30 to 12:30, participants will have the opportunity to join either a course or a world café, providing valuable spaces for learning, reflection, and exchange.

Courses – Deepening Expertise

Courses are focused on providing learning experiences aimed at developing competencies and providing participants with up-to-date, evidence-informed, and/or practice-based knowledge in a specific area. We encourage proposals that are rooted in research and practice-based knowledge.

The courses should be interactive and provide sufficient opportunities for participants to contribute by bringing their own experiences, engaging in discussions, and sharing perspectives. The course also needs to allocate time for the participants to formulate a small action to bring back and integrate into practice, research, or daily life. Whether you are part of a Nordic network, a professional, a researcher, or have lived experience of deafblindness, we welcome your proposal.

The proposal should contain:

Presentation of the course
The theme and content
Purpose of the course
Learning outcomes
Reflective questions on the participants' own experiences
Minimum and maximum number of participants

After the course, participants will receive a certificate of participation on behalf of the SC and NWC, provided by NWC.

World Café – Co-creating Knowledge

The world café format offers a more informal, interactive space for dialogue and co-creation of knowledge. If your topic instigates reflection, multiple perspectives, and collective insight, this may be the perfect setting for you.

A world café is a method for facilitating dialogue, idea exchange, and collaboration in groups. It is an informal yet structured approach where participants move between different tables (like in a café), and the conversations are guided by questions around a specific topic. The world café can host between 20 and 100 participants.

Core elements of a world café:

Café-style atmosphere: The room is set up to be cosy and relaxed – small tables, perhaps tablecloths, snacks, coffee/tea – to create a safe space for open dialogue.
Rounds of conversation: Participants are divided into smaller groups (typically 4–6 people per table) and discuss a shared question for 15–30 minutes.
Rotation: After each round, participants move to a new table, and one person stays behind as the "host" to share insights from the previous conversation with the new group.
Harvesting: In the end, all insights from the tables are brought together in a plenary session – the host at each table presents the insights from their table, and the world café will be facilitated by the organisers to summarise and document the key points.

The purpose of a world café is to:

Foster creative thinking and collective wisdom
Build engagement and shared understanding
Encourage relationships and collaboration across groups

The Scientific Committee urges the organisers to write a summary/statement capturing the main outcomes of the discussions, as this forms an essential part of the knowledge creation process.

The proposal should contain:

Presentation of the organiser
The theme and content
Purpose of the world café
Learning outcomes
Reflections on how the outcomes will be used afterwards

Workshops, Short talks or Posters

The Scientific Committee invites submission of abstracts for presentations at The Nordic Conference on Deafblindness. The conference aims to foster knowledge sharing, collaborative innovation, and competency development within the community of professionals, researchers, and individuals with lived experience of deafblindness. We encourage submissions that actively engage participants in the process of co-creation, involving multiple perspectives and reflecting both research and practice-based insights, as well as lived experience.

Purpose of the presentations:

To provide participants with knowledge and practical insights into current and emerging issues and research in the field
To highlight innovative practices or working methodes that contribute to the development of competencies in the field
To showcase lived experiences that reflect unfulfilled needs in research, service provision, education, or intervention, offering opportunities for reflection and dialogue
To create an interactive platform for the exchange of information, where different perspectives can be shared, and collective knowledge is co-created

The presentations need to address at least one of the points presented above.

Types of presentations:

The conference will offer a variety of presentation formats designed to encourage active engagement and collaboration:

Workshops: 25 minutes for presentation and 20 minutes for shared reflections. These sessions are designed as creative, interactive learning experiences that encourage participants to actively contribute, reflect on their experiences, and engage in meaningful discussions. Workshops should focus on co-creating knowledge and offer clear learning outcomes that help participants deepen their knowledge and competence in specific areas related to deafblindness. Workshops from both practice and lived experiences as well as research are very welcome.
Short Talks: 12 minutes for presentation and 3 minutes for questions and comments. These presentations aim to share research findings or new practices in a concise, impactful format. Each short talk is an opportunity to share scientific insights and exchange knowledge on key topics within the field.
Poster Presentations: Posters offer a platform for showcasing research, innovative projects, or new publications. These sessions provide a platform for discussion and knowledge exchange, allowing presenters and participants to engage in smaller one-on-one conversations.

Abstract requirements

Abstract requirements:

Abstracts are accepted in written English only.
Abstracts must be no longer than 350 words.
Proposals that encourage co-creation and multiple perspectives in the presentation format will be prioritised.
Indicate the type of presentation you are proposing (courses, world cafés, workshop, short talk, or poster). You may also indicate if you are open to considering an alternative presentation type if your preferred option cannot be accommodated.
All abstracts must be submitted online in the link provides at the bottom on this page.
Abstracts submitted by e-mail will not be accepted.

Authorship and Collaboration:

The submission must be made by one contact person on behalf of their co-presenters or team.
Please identify all collaborators and provide at least one affiliation for each author/presenter (e.g., “person with lived experience,” “academic institution,” “member of the public”).
If applicable, include information about funding sources, ethics approval, and other relevant collaborators.

Application Process:

Submit your abstract online, no later than the 10th of January, 2026.
The Scientific Committee will review all submissions and select those of most interest to participants, aiming for a diverse and balanced programme. Notifications will be sent by mid-February.

Registration:

All presenters must register for the conference and pay the appropriate registration fee. Abstracts for which the presenter has not registered and paid upon acceptance will not appear in the programme.

Accessibility:

Presentations must be accessible to participants with visual and/or hearing impairments. Detailed guidelines will be provided by organisers for accepted presentations.

We look forward to your submissions and to a diverse, impactful conference that pushes the boundaries of knowledge and co-creation in the field of deafblindness.

Template for abstracts

Title of abstract in Arial: size 16 point, centered

¹Author, A.A., ¹*Second-Author, B.B., ²Third, C.C. & ²So-on, D.D.

*Lead presenter

¹e-mail address of lead presenter

² Institution, country

This is a template for abstract submissions for the Nordic Conference on Deafblindness 2026. For for the Author names, use Arial, 14 points and 12 points for the main text.

Please use Word for your abstract. Keep the page margins to 2.5 cm, paragraphs justified, single line spacing and add an extra line break between paragraphs. The word count should not be more than 350 words. Please convert your Word document into a Pdf file before submission.

If you would like to insert a figure or a table, you can do so at the end of the abstract. The figure/table caption is not included in the word count.

The abstract deadline is January 10th, 2026. There is no fee for submission of an abstract. If your abstract is accepted, you need to register and pay the conference fee within the early bird deadline, the 1st of June 2026. Payment must be fulfilled to parttake in the program.

Accepance letters will be sent out mid-February.

The Scientific Committee will contact you if there are clarity issues that need to be addressed.

Specific information for different types of submissions

Courses and world cafés:

Abstracts for coruses and world cafés must include the following information:

Theme and content: Describe the theme and content of the course or the world café.

Learning outcomes: Describe the purpose of the course or the world café, what will the participants gain from their participation.

Discussions and reflections:

Courses: How will the participants be engaged in disussions and reflections based upon the theme of the course.
World café: How will outcomes of the reflections posed by the participants during the event, be used in future work.

Number of participants: Indicate minimum and maximum number of participants for the event.

Workshops, short talks and posters: Research

Abstracts for workshops, short talks and posters presenting original research findings must include the following information:

Background and aim: Describe the rationale and aim of your study, which should be aligned with the purpose of the conference.

Methods: Describe the specific methods used for your study, including the participants (e.g., number of participants, demographics), how data was collected (e.g., formal tests, description of experimental design, type of interview) and in what setting, and the analysis method (e.g., hierarchical regression, thematic analysis).

Results: Describe the main results supporting the conclusions from your study, at an appropriate level of detail.

Conclusions: Describe the conclusions in relation to your aim, specifically emphasizing what novel knowledge your study contributes to. Also comment on the general implications of the findings.

Discussion: Describe how you will engage your audience and create space for reflections in your presentation.

Workshops, short talks and posters: Practice-based projects or lived experience

Abstracts for workshops, short talks and posters presenting practice-based projects (e.g., assessing organizational needs, quality assessment, implementation of new work methods) or lived experiences must include the following information:

Background: Describe what topic of relevance to the conference that your presentation will focus on.

Methods: Describe how the project was conducted, from the planning stage to its execution. If you followed a systematic methodology for the execution and/or documenting any outcomes, please specify which and how it was used.

Outcomes: Describe the main outcomes of the project at an appropriate level of detail.

Discussion: Discuss what others can learn from the project and its outcomes, focusing on the novelty and practical implications.