Generales

By Sergio Alejandro Ruiz Saldarriaga, Journalist at UdeA Communications Office 

UdeA offers a program that helps people with intellectual disabilities engage with university life. Through Uincluye, more than 60 young people have trained at the Alma Mater. This initiative has also introduced a new cultural space in the city. Café Uincluye welcomes visitors to downtown Medellín with a diverse selection of locally sourced coffee while creating job opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. 

Café Uincluye opened its doors on February 5, 2025, with UdeA Rector John Jairo Arboleda Céspedes leading the event. Photo: Faculty of Medicine Communications 

Since December 2024, Café Uincluye has been serving visitors from the first floor of the Antioquia building, known as La Naviera, in the heart of Medellín’s Parque Berrío. This initiative supports restoring this historic space, which houses the University’s Museum of Life. 

What began as a research project has evolved into an initiative supported by various strategic partners, both internal and external. These include the Rector’s Office, the Vice-Rectors of Teaching and Extension, and the Faculties of Medicine and Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences. In addition, the DIA Corporation and the Universidad de Antioquia Foundation have been key partners in making this café a reality. 

Operating under the motto “Cups for Social Inclusion,” this initiative focuses on boosting employment opportunities for individuals with diverse abilities. They are participants in the Uincluye program at Alma Mater. 

Professor María Teresa Rugeles López, a pioneer of this initiative, has been involved since the program presented itself as a research project to the Ministry of Science in 2016. Uincluye later became a formal extension program at UdeA and now has its own dedicated space in the city, which also bears its name. 

“This is a vital commitment, not just to the labor inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, but also, through the café, to support the revitalization of downtown Medellín from the Universidad de Antioquia,” said Rugeles, who is now a retired professor from the university. 

The café’s commercial strategy centers on creating job opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. In addition, its menu highlights products from businesses run by families of individuals with disabilities. Currently, three participants from the Uincluye program are part of the café’s team, working 20 hours a week in roles such as customer service and food preparation, among other tasks. 

The café, with an investment of 180 million for its implementation, is operated by Mantagro, an organization from southwest Antioquia specializing in original coffees. It also benefits from the support and guidance provided by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences. 

A university commitment to inclusion and growth 

UdeA created Uincluye to help people with intellectual disabilities access higher education. The Faculties of Medicine and Education developed it as a joint research project and later presented it to MinCiencias. As the initiative grew, strategic partners joined to expand it into a structured program. Now under the Vice-Rectorate of Teaching, Uincluye continues to promote inclusion and create opportunities for a diverse population to engage in university life. 

Certified diploma programs offer young people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to engage with UdeA through their learning journey. Participants can choose three paths: preparing for university studies, developing job skills, or receiving comprehensive entrepreneurship training. 

This four-year strategy includes three annual cohorts. So far, 40 Uincluye participants have graduated, while 20 others are currently in training. 

Alejandra Campiño Yepes, one of the program’s graduates, now works at the café. After three years of training with Uincluye, she feels motivated by the social skills and economic independence she has developed. “I enjoy the camaraderie here. My program tutor guides me, corrects me, and is always attentive. It has been a new experience for me,” said Campiño. 

“We aim for these young people to leave the program with a clear life plan and for their families to receive support. One of the main challenges we face is overprotection or, at times, a lack of belief in their potential from their families,” said Doris Adriana Ramírez, professor at the Faculty of Education and coordinator of UdeA at the Vice-Rectorate of Teaching, who also leads the Uincluye program. The café is open Monday through Saturday, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., on the first floor of the La Naviera building, located at Carrera 50 # 52-26 in downtown Medellín. Photo: courtesy of Café Uincluye 

The university has carried out various inclusion initiatives for individuals who are deaf and use sign language, as well as those with visual, hearing, and psychosocial motor disabilities. However, it lacked a strategy that specifically addressed the needs of people with intellectual disabilities. 

In line with its commitment, the university aims to foster comprehensive development through social awareness. “We still live in a society where these young people face significant barriers to job opportunities,” Rugeles López pointed out. “It’s a reality that companies need to make reasonable adjustments to offer employment, but not all are willing to embrace these cultural changes.” 

Fostering cultural and scientific life in the city center 

The university has a historic presence in downtown Medellín, with its La Naviera building and the surrounding structures near Plazuela San Ignacio, where the Alma Mater of Antioquians originated. 

“By reopening this building, offering high-quality coffee grown and produced in our country, and transforming a space that has been closed to the public for years, we send a strong message to the city: we are creating a new gathering place for Medellín,” said Ana Lucía Pérez, Vice-Rector of Extension at UdeA. 

The Vice-Rectorate for Outreach is actively committed to enhancing accessibility for people with disabilities, implementing strategies that offer lifelong learning opportunities and support job placement. 

Additionally, for UdeA, the center is a space that must be brought to life and embraced. It is why the university’s strategies also include the Cultura Centro program, which has played a key role in revitalizing the cultural dynamic and encouraging citizen involvement in the heart of Medellín. 

The Uincluye coffee house opened with a specialized barista demonstration and welcomed more than 50 guests. It serves customers Monday through Saturday, from 7:00 am until 7:00 pm, on the first floor of the La Naviera building, located at Carrera 50 # 52-26.