Palm Springs is one of the first destinations to assure that those who attend meetings and events there will have multiple trained and certified entertainment, recreation and hotel options that are inclusive for those with autism.
Visit Greater Palm Springs recently completed the training required to receive the Certified Autism Center (CAC) designation from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). The bureau’s earning of the CAC designation is its first step toward making the destination a Certified Autism Destination (CAD), which would assure those who choose to attend meetings and events — or visit for any reason — that they would have multiple trained and certified entertainment, recreation and hotel options that would be inclusive for those with autism.
Other destinations that have become certified include Mesa, Ariz. and High Point, N.C.; individual hotels and venues can also become certified.
Visit Greater Palm Springs is the official destination marketing organization for the nine-city Southern California region that includes Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, La Quinta, Indio, and Coachella. “We’re 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. “We are committed to working with our tourism and community partners to better prepare our destination to serve autistic travelers.”
This attention to accessibility and inclusion for those who have autism is important, the bureau says, especially since one out of every 44 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Another one in six people in the U.S. have sensory needs or sensitivities.
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