Afya’s education & accessibility (E&A) program creates inclusive opportunities for volunteers who are often excluded from traditional community service. Designed as a truly inclusive program, E&A emphasizes strengths over diagnoses and fosters a neurodiverse environment where every participant can contribute to Afya’s mission.
Afya is committed to seeking out and including cohorts of volunteers who are often excluded from traditional community service. Through partnerships with community-based programs, Afya welcomes both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals to participate in volunteer opportunities. At Afya, these volunteers sort and prepare surplus medical supplies, support quality control, assist with administrative tasks, and contribute to warehouse operations.
Afya’s Inclusive Internships program is a grant-funded initiative that supports teens and young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Unlike programs that focus solely on job placement, these internships emphasize personal development, confidence-building, and independence.
Interns participate in structured volunteer experiences—sorting medical supplies, contributing to warehouse operations, and supporting Afya’s mission of sustainability and health equity. The program equips participants with tangible skills that support their ability to pursue education, employment, or continued service. By focusing on individual strengths and aspirations, inclusive internships provide a supportive framework for young adults to grow, thrive, and see themselves as active contributors to global health.
Afya provides Level I and Level II fieldwork experiences for master’s and doctoral-level occupational therapy students. These placements take place in Afya’s non-traditional, community-based environment, where future clinicians work directly alongside neurodiverse volunteers and accessibility groups.
Students gain invaluable experience in adaptive, inclusive practice settings that expand their perspective beyond the clinic. At Afya, OT students are immersed in hands-on service—helping manage surplus medical supplies while collaborating with diverse populations. These placements challenge students to think creatively, adapt to real-world conditions, and develop the empathy and practical skills necessary for a career in occupational therapy.
By integrating OT training into Afya’s accessibility programming, the fieldwork experience benefits both the students and the volunteers they support—creating a cycle of mutual learning and empowerment.
