ISCRD Virtual Summit: Attract Visitors and Improve Quality of Life with Community Autism Certification

Attendees will benefit from sessions led by experts on:

  • Building A Case For Stakeholder Buy-in
  • The Untapped Value Of Inclusion
  • Investing In Your City to Create Growth
  • Case Study

This virtual summit will provide information to ensure community leaders and organizers have the knowledge and resources on how to welcome visitors and build a more inclusive community for your residents post-pandemic.

About the Host

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 recognized that many autistic adults and families with autistic children have limited travel and recreation options where they feel safe and welcomed. In response to this need, IBCCES created training and certification programs specifically for attractions, hotels, zoos, aquariums, and other recreational locations. IBCCES is the only credentialing organization providing this type of certification, which includes evidence-based training from experts as well as the perspectives of autistic individuals, alongside other tools and resources such as onsite reviews and customized recommendations, and renewal requirements to ensure the program is a long-term commitment that has a lasting impact.

Summit Keynote Speakers

Marc Garcia

PRESIDENT AND CEO OF VISIT MESA

Marc Garcia is President and CEO of Visit Mesa, the destination management organization for the City of Mesa and the surrounding region. Immediately after joining the DMO in June 2012, Garcia prioritized a rebranding effort for the organization which included a corporate repositioning to Visit Mesa. In 2019, Garcia led the organization to become the nation’s first autism-certified destination marketing organization, an initiative that hits close to home as a father of a five-year-old son on the autism spectrum. This nationwide achievement sets Mesa aside as a leader in a burgeoning sector of the industry, ability travel. Visit Mesa has shepherded other Mesa businesses including the parks department, Chamber of Commerce and fire department and hospitality industry partners to achieve this same status on a larger quest to establish Mesa as the United State’s first-ever autism certified travel destination.

Ali BrownAli Brown

City-County Councillor at City of Indianapolis

Councillor Ali Brown is a small business owner and nonprofit executive. She has spent a lifetime working to better the lives of those around her from working in HIV/AIDS education, to being one of the leading experts in construction workforce development, to working to allow seniors happily and healthily age in place.

She’ll prioritize attaching innovation companies to our city so that we may continue to grow and prosper, she’ll fight to improve our streets and infrastructure, and she’ll work on making childcare more affordable so everyone can participate in our economy.

Kerry magro with a child with autism

Kerry Magro, Ph.D

AWARD-WINNING DISABILITY ADVOCATE, BEST-SELLING AUTHOR

Dr. Kerry Magro is an award-winning disability advocate, best-selling author of 3 books, movie consultant of 2 autism films, and a non-profit founder that has given over 45 scholarships for students with autism for college. Magro was completely non-verbal until the age of two and a half and was diagnosed with autism at 4 years old.

These days, Magro travels around the country as a motivational speaker and disability advocate. His speeches have included two TEDx Talks. In 2014, he received accreditation from the National Speakers Association as one of the only professionally certified speakers with autism in the country. For almost a decade Magro has talked at hundreds of events about his journey on the autism spectrum. Those speaking engagements led to a stint in TV hosting his own local cable show called the “Different is Beautiful Show,” which focuses on people who overcome adversity. Kerry has recently started interviewing people for his new video series at A Special Community Of Love And Acceptance that highlights people with special needs, disease and those who have overcome obstacles in their lives.

SESSION TOPICS:

ISCRD will be held on May 21, 2021, from 2-4 pm EST, featuring live Q+A from presenters. If you can’t join live, sessions will be available to attendees for viewing until June 4.

Session topics:

  • Building A Case For Stakeholder Buy-in
  • The Untapped Value Of Inclusion
  • Investing In Your City to Create Growth
  • Case Study

Group of diverse people in a Autism Certified City

  • Visitor Bureaus
  • Destination Marketing Organizations

ISCRD Live Q&A

ISCRD will be held virtually on May 21, 2021, including live Q+A sessions with presenters. Attendees will be given access to view recorded sessions until June 4, 2021.