Visit Greater Palm Springs is now a Certified Autism Center (CAC), a designation granted by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). The CAC designation is awarded to organizations that have completed autism training to better understand and welcome autistic visitors and their families.
The CAD designation will offer visitors multiple trained and certified options to choose from when in the area, including entertainment, recreation, and hotel options. Visit Greater Palm Springs is working with IBCCES to involve key tourism, hospitality, and recreation organizations in the community to achieve this goal in order to attract more visitors and ensure inclusive options are available.
“We are pleased to be recognized as a Certified Autism Center, but it is just the first step,” said Scott White, Visit Greater Palm Springs president and CEO, in a press statement. “We are committed to working with our tourism and community partners to better prepare our destination to serve autistic travelers.”
The focus on ensuring accessibility is important, especially with 1 in 44 children in the U.S. diagnosed with autism (according to the CDC) and 1 in 6 people with sensory needs or sensitivities. Travelers with disabilities take millions of trips every year, but there are few destinations that have taken the extra step to better understand and enhance accommodations for these visitors.
“We are thrilled to work with Visit Greater Palm Springs as the team expands its focus on accessibility and ensuring that autistic visitors and their families can have wonderful experiences,” said Myron Pincomb, IBCCES board chairman, in a press statement. “Organizations like Visit Greater Palm Springs are vital in pushing the industry forward to be more inclusive and welcoming for ALL travelers.”
For more than 20 years, IBCCES has been the leader in cognitive disorder training and certification for healthcare, education, and corporate professionals around the globe. IBCCES created programs specifically for hospitality and recreational organizations such as hotels, theme parks, museums, and other attractions so staff would be more knowledgeable and other accommodations could be offered to this growing, but underserved, part of the community. IBCCES is the only credentialing board offering these types of programs, which include training from subject matter experts and autistic self-advocates, as well as long-term support and continuous learning, onsite reviews, and more.
IBCCES also created autismtravel.com, as a free online resource for parents that lists certified locations and professionals.
For more information, visit visitgreaterpalmsprings.com.
Also, check out, “Empower People with Disabilities to Travel,” and “Become a Certified Autism Travel Professional.”
