Committee backs All Kinds of Minds training and hybrid rollout for businesses, schools

At the Jan. 27 meeting, committee members and staff discussed the All Kinds of Minds master plan as a vehicle to increase disability awareness among local businesses, schools and organizations. Health department staff said the program can be run asynchronously and in hybrid form, and that about 15 organizations had completed tiers of recognition (bronze, silver or gold).

Speakers said Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Perez supports expanding the initiative and that All Kinds of Minds could serve as a foundation for broader training. One committee speaker proposed arranging a presentation of the program’s course list (available on train.com) for the next meeting so members could review curriculum content and identify gaps.

Why it matters: members said accessible training for businesses and schools could reduce misunderstandings in public settings and help adapt customer and classroom environments. Suggestions included targeting local businesses frequented by young people — the transcript named Peter Piper and the mall as potential sites — and creating shorter or modular offerings to reduce the time burden that some businesses cited as a barrier to full adoption.

Next steps: staff offered to compile the train.com course list and present it at a future meeting; committee members volunteered to help promote the program to local businesses and organizations. The transcript records a motion to request a health department presentation on training content for the next meeting (mover/second and vote not specified).