St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau Renews Certified Autism Center™ Designation

St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau’s CAC renewal supports the county’s efforts to become a Certified Autism Destination™.

ST. JOHNS, FL, UNITED STATES, May 20, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) proudly renews the St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau’s Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) designation, recognizing the bureau’s effort to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for every visitor. To renew the designation, staff at the St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau completed updated training on best practices and skills to understand, support, and assist autistic and sensory-sensitive visitors and their families.

"Renewing our Certified Autism Center™ certification reaffirms our commitment to making St. Johns County a welcoming and inclusive destination for all visitors and residents,” says Susan Phillips, president and CEO of St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau. “This designation reflects our dedication to ensuring families and individuals with sensory sensitivities can explore and enjoy our county with confidence and ease. We are proud to be part of a growing movement toward accessibility and look forward to continuing to enhance the visitor experience for all."

“Understanding how to best include and support every visitor is a huge step in creating accessible and inclusive communities,” says Myron Pincomb, IBCCES board chairman. “By renewing their Certified Autism Center™ designation, the St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau is continuing to prove their dedication to creating a community that welcomes every individual, especially autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals.”

St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau’s CAC renewal also plays a part in helping St. Johns County become a Certified Autism Destination™ (CAD). The CAD designation is awarded to communities that have a variety of trained and certified options for visitors to choose from when in the area, including hospitality, entertainment and recreation.

For more than two decades, IBCCES has been a leader in providing autism, sensory and neurodiversity training and certification for professionals worldwide, including those in healthcare, education, public safety, travel, and corporate sectors. As the only credentialing board offering these programs, IBCCES provides training from subject matter experts and autistic self-advocates, along with long-term support, continuous learning, onsite reviews and renewal requirements to ensure continued growth and lasting impact.

To further support inclusivity efforts, St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau is listed on the IBCCES Accessibility App, which is free to download. This app provides individuals with a variety of disabilities real-time guidance on certified destinations, sensory-friendly spaces, and tailored recommendations. By connecting users to accessible locations worldwide, the app helps ensure seamless, enjoyable experiences for everyone.

IBCCES also provides access to resources such as CertifiedAutismCenter.com and AutismTravel.com, free online tools for families that list certified locations and professionals. Each organization listed on the site has met Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) requirements.

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About St. Johns County Visitors & Convention Bureau
Located midway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville, Florida's Historic Coast includes historic St. Augustine, the outstanding golf and seaside elegance of Ponte Vedra, the rural beauty of Hastings, Elkton, St. Johns, and 42 miles of pristine Atlantic beaches. Visitor Information Centers are located at 10 Castillo Drive, St. Augustine; 200 Solana Rd. Suite B, Ponte Vedra Beach: and at the St. Johns County Beach Pier Park, 350 A1A Beach Blvd., St. Augustine Beach. For advance travel information, call 1.800.653.2489 or go to the Visitors and Convention Bureau website at www.FloridasHistoricCoast.com. Check us out on social media Instagram @FloridasHistoricCoast; @ViajaStAugustine, Facebook.com/OfficialStAugustine, and Facebook.com/ViajaStAugustine and Twitter @FlHistoricCoast.

About IBCCES
Delivering the global standard for training and certification in the fields of autism, neurodiversity, and accessibility – IBCCES provides a series of certification programs that empower professionals to be leaders in their field and improve the outcomes for the individuals they serve. For over two decades, IBCCES has been a global leader, setting the industry standard in autism and cognitive differences training. IBCCES works in over 111 countries and provides training in 8 languages, and its programs have been recognized around the world as the leading benchmark in training and certification.

In addition to individual certification programs, IBCCES partners with cities, destinations, and organizations on initiatives like the Certified Autism Destination™ (CAD) and Autism Certified City™ (ACC), ensuring autistic and sensory-sensitive residents and visitors feel welcomed and safe. Destinations that achieve the CAD designation have completed a specialized program that ensures a multitude of recreation, hospitality and entertainment organizations have completed an autism and sensory-sensitivity training, certification and IBCCES facilities review process. The ACC designation expands on that program and includes IBCCES training and certification for the public safety, education, healthcare and workplace sectors.

IBCCES also created the Accessibility App, AutismTravel.com, and CertifiedAutismCenter.com – free resources for individuals with a variety of neurodiversities and disabilities, listing certified locations and connecting individuals to other resources and each other.

Meredith Tekin
IBCCES
+1 904-508-0135
marketing@ibcces.org
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