Become An Industry Leader In Inclusivity & Increase Community Engagement

Reduced Escalations at Programs and Facilities: Staff trained to recognize signs of sensory overload or anxiety can intervene proactively before situations escalate at recreation centers, pools, playgrounds, sports fields, and program activities.

Empowered Staff Across All Program Areas: Frontline employees across diverse roles (recreation leaders, aquatics staff, sports coaches, camp counselors, facility attendants, front desk staff, maintenance workers) have the tools and knowledge to handle sensory sensitivities, communication differences, and behavioral needs confidently.

Standardized Protocols Across Departments and Facilities: Programs like the IBCCES Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) certification provide structured frameworks to help create additional supports for accessibility across recreation centers, aquatic facilities, sports programs, summer camps, playgrounds, trails, and special events. This reduces guesswork, provides consistency across seasonal and part-time staff, and creates seamless experiences regardless of which facility or program a family accesses.

Serving Additional Community Members: Currently, many autistic children and adults, individuals with sensory processing disorders, and families with diverse needs may avoid parks and recreation programs due to fear of judgment, lack of accommodations, or previous negative experiences. Certification directly addresses this exclusion, enabling your department to serve all taxpayers and fulfill your public mission of providing recreation opportunities for the entire community.

The “Family Participation Effect”: When a child with autism can successfully participate in a recreation program, it typically brings parents, siblings, and extended family into the recreation center as well—for sibling programs, family swim, parent fitness classes, and facility rentals.

Increased Program Enrollment and Revenue: Accessible programs attract families who have been waiting for inclusive options.

Building Deep Community Loyalty and Advocacy: For individuals who have found a department where their family members and friends are welcomed, understood, and successfully included, gratitude and loyalty are profound.

Expanding the Definition of Community Access: While focused on autism, accessibility measures also improve services for residents with PTSD, anxiety disorders, sensory processing disorders, dementia, ADHD, and young children. This broadens impact across diverse community demographics and increases the political constituency supporting parks and recreation.

Camp and After-School Program Success: Many families struggle to find inclusive summer camps and after-school care. Accessible programs fill this critical community need, enabling working parents to maintain employment, supporting family economic stability, and demonstrating parks and recreation as essential infrastructure.

Enhanced Departmental Reputation and Community Standing: In an era when public services face scrutiny and budget challenges, becoming a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) through IBCCES powerfully demonstrates that parks and recreation serves all community members. It positions the department as innovative, responsive, and committed to building community trust and political capital.

Positive Media Coverage and Public Recognition: Committing to accessibility generates positive stories in local media, community newsletters, city communications, and social media. These stories showcase parks and recreation success, build public awareness of services, and create goodwill with elected officials, city managers, and community stakeholders.

Creating a Culture of Excellence Across All Services: Skills developed through autism and accessibility training, clear communication, patience, active listening, problem-solving, empathy, and situational awareness, improve staff interactions with all participants. This elevates overall program quality, increases participant satisfaction, improves public perception, and justifies continued public investment.

Demonstrating Return on Public Investment: Accessible programs increase facility utilization, boost program enrollment, expand service, and generate positive community outcomes. This demonstrates tangible return on investment.

Regional Recognition and Best Practice Leadership: Certified departments become recognized as regional leaders in inclusive recreation, creating opportunities for conference presentations, peer department consultations, and positioning leadership as thought leaders, elevating the department’s regional and national profile.