Santa Barbara’s first cafe designed with and for individuals with disabilities is working toward opening downtown in December.

State of Mind Cafe will offer an accessible third space for all to enjoy coffee, local art, and connection at 918 State St., formerly Cookie Plug, according to its founders.

The cafe fills a gap in spaces accessible to people with disabilities in Santa Barbara, State of Mind Cafe founder and executive director Rebecca Benozare said. 

Benozare’s work for philanthropist Sarah Miller McCune with various community organizations illuminated this gap, she said. 

“I just realized that there are not a lot of places that are specifically designed with (people with disabilities) in mind,” Benozare said. 

This gap is not unique to Santa Barbara, said Chris Benedict, a member of the cafe’s steering committee who has cerebral palsy. 

In his years working as a DJ in Santa Barbara, Benedict said he hoped to create an accessible space like State of Mind before, but did not have the resources to do so. 

“I heard about this (cafe), and this is my dream come to fruition,” he said. 

The nonprofit cafe’s proceeds will be donated to community organizations advancing inclusion, such as the Grace Fisher Foundation, the Down Syndrome Association of Santa Barbara and Autism Embrace.

With guidance from the steering committee, the cafe is designed with Braille menus, recessed lighting and accessible seating. 

“There are just so many different types of people with disabilities, and I think that a lot of people in the community, especially who work in retail or restaurants, might not quite have the understanding of how to help people with so many different types of disabilities,” said Skylar Covich, a member of the steering committee who has been blind since birth. 

As a member of the city’s Access Advisory Committee, Covich has utilized his community connections to help with cafe outreach, whether to recruit volunteers or let people with disabilities know a space like the cafe is coming to town. 

He said everyone he has spoken to has been “very supportive” about the cafe.

“I’m really hoping that with State of Mind Cafe, it can be a space for education, but also a space for people to gather and feel really comfortable,” he said. 

The cafe’s offerings will support local businesses, with coffee supplied by woman- and LGBTQ+-owned roasting company Welcome Coffee, and pastries by Mo’s To-Go, a catering service that supports training and employment for people with disabilities.

The cafe is also the fiscal sponsor for the Léni Fé Bland Performing Arts Fund and the Sara Fund. 

In the evenings, the space will become an arts and culture hub, inviting local artists of all abilities to host events and share their work, Benozare said. 

Benedict, who is also a public speaker, said he hopes to hold community public-speaking training sessions there. 

The cafe will also employ people with disabilities.

Melissa Fitch, president of the Down Syndrome Association of Santa Barbara County and State of Mind community partner, said her 24-year-old son Ryan, who has Down syndrome, will be a State of Mind employee.

Ryan also hopes to sell his business’s T-shirts at the cafe, she said.

“Our loved ones with disabilities need more opportunities in this community to get actual employment that is gainful,” Fitch said. “…I’m excited for Ryan to have the opportunity to really have a place where he can work and be appreciated.”

Project manager and general manager Katelyn Tymon said she wants the cafe to become a business model that can be duplicated to create more accessible spaces and employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Santa Barbara and across the country. 

“The hope is that this becomes a regular thing that can really benefit the disability community as a whole,” Tymon said. 

After the space’s lease is formalized on Sept. 1, the team will acquire needed permits and begin renovations, Benozare said. 

To help cover renovation costs, the team launched a $100,000 fundraising campaign, raising just over 10% of the goal so far.

With support from the community and partner organizations, the cafe’s team hopes to open this winter.

“I’m really hoping that this cafe is going to shine a bright light into what people with disabilities are able to do, and what they are able to achieve,” said Benedict.