Phoenix largest city to earn Certified Autism Center Designation

 PHOENIX – The City of Phoenix has achieved the Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) designation awarded by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), which sets the global standard for training and certification in the fields of autism, neurodiversity, and accessibility. To recognize this achievement, City leadership gathered at City Hall to receive the official certificate from IBCCES. The certification comes after more than 80% of front-facing City employees, including Police and Fire personnel, received specialized training to better support and serve autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals. Today, Phoenix is the largest municipality in the country to earn the CAC designation.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, holding certificate on right, and International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards Board Chair Myron Pincomb, left holding certificate, pose with city of Phoenix officials and staff on Thursday, Sept. 3 at City Hall to commemorate the IBCCES giving the city a Certified Autism Center designation

As part of the certification process, IBCCES conducts onsite reviews across City of Phoenix locations, providing actionable recommendations and sensory guides to enhance accessibility for those with autism and sensory sensitivities.

The initiative was recommended by the City’s Strategic Workgroup on Accessibility, a taskforce Mayor Kate Gallego called for to create a more accessible Phoenix. Councilwoman Debra Stark chaired the workgroup and led community leaders and City departments in developing a robust framework. Among its efforts, the taskforce successfully introduced inclusive design standards on newly constructed homes, enhanced wayfinding for people with low or no vision, and installed new hearing loop technology in the City’s Council Chambers. Phoenix is also designated as a Dementia Friendly City, an initiative to improve quality of life and reduce stigma for people with memory loss.

“Phoenix prides itself on being a community where everyone is able to thrive—and we are especially proud that the City of Phoenix is now a Certified Autism Center,” Mayor Kate Gallego said. "With thousands of daily visitors to our many facilities, parks and destinations, we are continuously improving to meet the needs of our entire community, including the unique needs of autistic individuals. As we strive to be a global model for accessibility, I’m especially grateful to Councilwoman Debra Stark for her leadership to make Phoenix more welcoming for all.”

“Earning the Certified Autism Center designation shows how deeply Phoenix values inclusivity and access," District 3 Councilwoman Debra Stark said. "Our staff worked diligently to complete this important training, and this certification moves us closer to a city where everyone, regardless of ability, can help improve Phoenix.”

“This distinction reflects Phoenix’s ongoing commitment to becoming a more accessible, inclusive and welcoming city for people of all abilities,” said Nicole Anderson, Chair of the Mayor’s Commission on Disability Issues and member of the Strategic Workgroup on Accessibility. “I am proud to live in a city that trains its employees to better understand and support autistic individuals and people with sensory, communication and cognitive differences. This work helps ensure residents and visitors feel included in the places, services and experiences that belong to all of us.”

“Our work with the City is grounded in collaboration, community insight and shared responsibility. It strengthens Phoenix’s recognition by PBS NewsHour as 'the most autism-friendly city in the world.' Such efforts contribute to a community culture that grows up with individuals of all ages living with autism and/or other disabilities—opening more doors to education, employment, housing and healthcare. This commitment is essential to ensuring that inclusion is not a moment but a lifelong pathway for every person,” stated Denise D. Resnik, Strategic Workgroup Member, SARRC Co-Founder & First Place AZ Founder & President/CEO.

Honored as 2023 Arizona Historymaker, listen to Denise tell her story at https://historicalleague.org/historymakers/denise-d-resnik/

Arizona History Museum in Tucson

 Tucson Lifestyle August article: The Arizona Historical Society (AHS) @arizonahistoricalsociety was founded in Tucson in 1884 as the Society of Arizona Pioneers by Dr. John C. Handy, his father-in-law William Fisher Scott, and 58 fellow pioneers. Originally created to preserve personal narratives of early Arizona life and serve as a mutual aid society, the organization evolved over the decades, becoming the Arizona Pioneers’ Historical Society in 1897 and adopting its current name in 1973. Today, AHS serves as the state’s steward of history, with a mission to collect, preserve, interpret, and share Arizona’s heritage through exhibitions, educational programs, publications such as the Journal of Arizona History, and outreach initiatives, including National History Day. Its holdings include more than three million artifacts and manuscripts that document the cultural, political, and economic history of Arizona, the greater Southwest, and northern Mexico.

The Arizona History Museum in Tucson, located at 949 E. 2nd Street at Park Street, is the largest of AHS’s museums. Designed by iconic Tucson architect Josias Joesler, the museum offers immersive exhibits that cover Southern Arizona’s past from the Spanish colonial period through statehood, featuring collections of Spanish silver, Old West firearms, and artifacts tied to figures such as Geronimo, Wyatt Earp, Santa Anna, John Dillinger, and many more. Kids love the upstairs hands-on area featuring recreations of different ways people have lived in the Desert Southwest over thousands of years. The Arizona History Museum is a wonderful way to escape the heat while appreciating the incredible history of our beloved state.