The theme of the Congress is an invitation to share and reflect on the practice of Occupational Therapy in the world.

The development of knowledge and practice of our profession and discipline is the product of social and political processes of the various regions of the world. The Congress offers an opportunity to discuss and contribute to the development of occupational therapy at a global level.

We welcome all papers that are a contribution to showcase and systematize knowledge which feature the experiences of our emerging profession, in its aim of meeting the needs of individuals and society.

Submissions are invited from people interested in presenting papers, workshops, and poster presentations at the 15th Congress of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, to be held in Santiago, Chile, from Tuesday 4 May to Friday 7 May 2010.

Key Dates

*Accepted presenters must register by this date.

Call for Abstracts Guidelines

Please review the following information prior to submitting your abstract on line.
Congress Theme
Keywords
Scope and Field
Age Group
Presentation Types
Guidelines for Submission

CONGRESS THEMES

1. Human Rights and Occupational Therapy
   Thematic area to reflect on research and intervention strategies for social participation, social responsibility and professional ethics. It considers the construction of spaces for social support, at an individual and collective level, in life situations linked to poverty and social exclusion. This includes spheres of policies and management of public policies, community based rehabilitation, and rehabilitation with a community basis, among others.


2. Occupational Therapy Practice Development
   Aimed at incorporating the experiences, impact and/or usefulness of the models that have been constructed in occupational therapy or in the science of occupation, new evaluation and/or intervention strategies, and experience of countries considering the epidemiological variable. Research in occupational therapy from various epistemological approaches.


3. Culture and Occupation
   Theme aimed at bringing together Occupational Therapy experiences in groups dealing with exclusion, immigration and ethnic groups, discussing issues such as cultural sensitivity, disability, gender and social equality. This theme will favour dialogue between Latin American occupational therapy and that which is practiced in other continents of the world.


4. Occupational Practice: Past and Future Trends.
   The foundation of this theme is the lessons learned and the impact of the historical construction of occupational therapy in Latin America and the world on emerging spheres of practice and research. Novel, creative, and boundary-pushing developments in the field will stimulate dialogue and the critical review of this theme’s content. The implications for future mainstream practice and links to research and education are encouraged.


5. Quality and Management
   This theme generates discussion on guidelines and strategies for public policy within the scope of occupational therapy and for leadership development within the national and international levels of the profession. It will explore management strategies for leaders of professional occupational therapy services within contexts of limited resources and for vulnerable populations which are of the highest priority.


6. Occupational Therapy Education: The Profession & Discipline
   Incorporating evidence, reflections and projections about occupational therapy and occupational science educational experiences, this theme encourages exploration of differences and coincidences, within both a local and a global context. Presentations will promote dialogue about diversity, quality and challenges confronting educational institutions faced with resource limitations, research and accreditation demands as well as quality competitive education. Students and practitioners perspectives relating to career opportunities, cultural mobility, equality and inclusion are sought.


7. Occupation, Daily Life, Subjectivity and Occupational Therapy
   This horizontal theme includes conceptualizations about the profession’s foundation construct of occupation. Sought are critical and comparative perspectives of cultural expressions in novel environments, countries and regions that serve to enlighten participants to alternative views and approaches. The opinions and lived experiences of clients, patients, practitioners, students and academics are sources of stimulation for creating new ways of exploring old issues and alternative strategies to providing greater opportunity to all for full societal participation.

KEYWORDS

The identification of Keywords will help the Program Committee further classify and allocate your paper. Please choose a MAXIMUM OF 3 keywords that helps describe your submission.

SCOPE / FIELD

By nominating the Scope/Field of the content of your abstract will help the Program Committee group your abstract with related presentations. Please choose ONE that helps define your submission.

AGE GROUP

Nominating the Age Group that your abstract addresses, will help the Program Committee correctly assign your paper to a relevant session. Please choose ONE that helps define your submission.

PRESENTATION TYPES

You will be required to indicate your preferred presentation type - oral, poster or workshop presentation – when you are submitting your abstract. The Scientific Committee will determine whether the abstract will be accepted as oral, poster, workshop or other presentation format, with consideration given to the author’s preference; available time; and, balance within in the program.
To enable as many people as possible to participate in the Congress program, each presenting author can generally be offered no more than two presentations.

Oral Presentations
Paper presentations will provide an opportunity to report on original research, innovative programs and professional practices, theoretical and conceptual advances, and professional issues relating to the Congress theme.
Oral presentations will each be of 20 minutes duration, allowing 15 minutes for the presentation and 5 minutes for discussion.

Poster Presentations
Posters provide a static visual display of new techniques, programs, research or professional innovations. They are the ideal medium for the presentation of complex visual material. Organised tours of the poster displays will create the opportunity for face-to-face interaction and discussions with colleagues.

Workshop Presentations
Workshops will offer an opportunity to develop participants’ skills using a variety of presentation methods that are interactive and informal in delivery. Interactive lectures, case studies and demonstrations are suited to this presentation.
In-Congress Workshops
A limited number of skill-building workshops, each lasting 1.5 hours, will be selected to run during the Congress.
Pre –Congress Workshops
A limited number of workshops, of half day or full day duration, will be selected to run on one of the two days prior to Congress. A minimum number of registered participants are required for Pre Congress workshops to proceed.
Please note that assessment of the Pre Congress Workshops will undergo a two phase selection process. Firstly, each abstract submission will be double blind reviewed and nominated for selection based on review scores and Academic Committee approval. If successful, the submission will then be assessed for financial viability based on discussions with presenters. Each submission must be successful in both phases in order to be accepted for presentation.
Materials and Resources
Relevant resources will showcase products developed by occupational therapists, therapy departments, universities or clients. These may include educational videos, booklets/brochures, treatment charts, equipment and instructional media that enhance programs or services to clients or students. The materials presented should not be commercially available. The resources will not be for sale at the Congress.
Submissions for ‘Materials and Resources’ will NOT be assessed through the ‘Call for Papers’ process. Instead, formal criteria for the submission of ‘Materials and Resources’ will be provided after 31 July on the Congress website. Please check the website after July 31 for more details and submission deadlines.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

1. Abstracts can only be submitted online. Emailed, faxed or hard copy submissions will NOT be accepted.
2. Abstracts must be submitted in English and may also be submitted in Spanish.
3. The author is responsible for the accuracy of the abstract.
4. The acceptance of an abstract for Congress does not imply provision of travel, accommodation or registration for the conference, nor any other costs associated with preparation or presentation of the abstract, or any costs associated with attendance at the conference.
5. By submitting this abstract, you together with any co-authors give permission for the abstract (if selected for inclusion in the Congress program), to be published on a CDROM, Congress website, &/or in the book of Congress Proceedings, and for your contact details to be forwarded to publications interested in your work.
6. Presenting authors of accepted abstracts must be registered by 27 January 2010 to ensure inclusion of the abstract in the Congress publications and in order to be scheduled for presentation.
   Authors will be notified regarding abstract acceptance by 31 July 2009. Abstracts will be blind reviewed by two peers with expertise in the topic area.
7. The abstract should be as informative as possible.
   
   Research abstracts to include:
   • Introduction
   • Objectives
   • Methods
   • Results
   • Conclusion
   • Contribution to the practice/evidence base of occupational therapy.
   Non research abstracts to include:
   • Introduction
   • Objectives
   • Description/Report
   • Results/Discussion
   • Conclusion
   • Contribution to the practice/evidence base of occupational therapy.
   Workshop Abstracts to include:
   • Learning objectives
   • Length of time required -1.5 hours for a workshop in the Congress program; or half or full day for a Pre Congress workshop.
   • Description of teaching methods
   • Maximum number of participants
8. If you submit in BOTH English and Spanish, you will need to indicate on the online form which language you wish your abstract to be reviewed in.
9. The review criteria will include:
   
   • Clarity of writing
   • Well organized abstract
   • Purpose clearly described
   • Contributes to the knowledge base of the profession
   • Of interest to occupational therapists
   • Evidence of well developed ideas relevant to the Congress theme
   • Overall quality of content
10. Images, tables, diagrams, and graphs cannot be accepted.
11. Abstract length should not exceed 350 words.
12. A maximum of two abstracts only will be accepted per presenting author.
13. Number of Authors/Presenters
    • Please note that:
      • Up to 10 co-authors and sponsoring organisations to be listed.
      • Maximum 2 presenting authors per paper and workshop presentation

Withdrawal of Submission
If you wish to withdraw your submission please send an email to the Congress Office at wfot2010@wfot.org with your name and the abstract title.

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To help you prepare an abstract:
Presenting at Congress is a very exciting opportunity to share your knowledge, ideas, experience and more with colleagues. It is important that you spend time preparing and reviewing your abstract before you submit it for consideration by the reviewers and the Scientific Committee. For information on how to prepare abstracts, take a look at the following resources. Please note that these resources are not specific to the WFOT Congress 2010, but they do offer excellent advice.

Tips for Preparing Abstracts

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