East Tennessee State University’s occupational therapy program partners with Jeremiah Café

East Tennessee University’s occupational therapy program has partnered with Jeremiah Café, a local business that employs people with autism, to give students within the program the opportunity to work shifts alongside the cafe’s employees and get a real-world look at how their occupational therapy skills can help individuals with special needs flourish in the workplace.

According to an article on East Tennessee University’s website, Dr. Kathryn Halsted, who serves as both an assistant professor and the academic fieldwork coordinator for the College of Health Sciences’ Department of Occupational Therapy, was quoted as saying of the partnership, “I just cannot emphasize enough how great of a learning opportunity this is for everyone involved. I see this as teaching the students the way we treat as occupational therapists – it’s not just theory, it’s not just slides on a screen, this is real life, and these are real people. This is more realistic, and much closer to what they will experience working in the field as a clinician.”

Dr. Halsted continued, “Our goal is to aid in the mission of the cafe to enable the neurodivergent staff to be successful in job skill development. This collaboration enables our students to develop and practice their skills in a real-world environment, and the engagement with the community enhances the depth of learning and integration of these skills.” 

The Doctor of Occupational Therapy program launched at East Tennessee State University in 2022, and teaches students to become adept at helping individuals thrive by learning or re-learning the everyday skills they need to thrive in their lives or in the workplace.

Two dozen students have been working at Jeremiah Cafe since August 2024. These students have been rotating through two-hour shifts at the cafe in small groups on Tuesday mornings, an opportunity the students have been finding to be especially rewarding.

Janki Patel, a second-year occupational therapy student, said, “This has been a great experience for me because I feel you don’t get these kinds of experiences everywhere, and ETSU gives you great opportunities to get community-based experiences. Having an experience like this is very unique, and just getting this hands-on learning helps us prepare for when we are practicing occupational therapists in the future.” 

Echoing these sentiments, Gabby Rambo, another second-year student, said, “When you’re working with clients, you don’t just want to be seen in the clinic, you want to go out in the community and be immersed in their world to understand their needs and goals better. I’ve lived in Johnson City my entire life, and it’s been really rewarding to be able to give back to my community.” 

The partnership has been mutually beneficial, as the students have been able to get a glimpse into the type of work they will be doing in the future, and the cafe and its employees are happy to help out, as well as to have the company of the occupational therapy students.

“We wanted to give these kids, after they finished school, an opportunity to be part of this workplace and learn. We wanted this to be a learning environment, and we’re very happy to partner with ETSU to help us with that. This was my vision all along, and to see it come to fruition, it’s hard to put into words,” said Jennifer Sweet, Jeremiah Café owner.

For more information about East Tennessee State University, visit the school’s website.