By earning the CAC designation, St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum advances St. Johns County’s Certified Autism Destination™ initiative

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL, UNITED STATES, March 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) proudly presents the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum with the Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) designation. This credential is awarded to organizations where at least 80% of guest-facing staff undergo an autism-specific training and certification process. Lighthouse and museum staff completed the training, equipping them with best practices and skills to welcome, assist, and include autistic and sensory-sensitive visitors and their families.

“This certification enables our organization to better connect with our community and create meaningful experiences for all audiences,” says Amanda Goodall, St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum interpretive department manager. “We are very excited to join this initiative in St. Johns County!”

In addition to the training and certification, the lighthouse and museum has several other accommodations available. Accessible parking is available with wheelchair ramp access to the visitors’ center and gift shop. All public restrooms are wheelchair accessible as well. The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is a historic site. A wheelchair ramp provides access to the main floor of the Keepers’ House where guests can learn about life as a lighthouse keeper and watch a video that shows archaeological artifacts from the American Revolution. The 1936 WWII Garage is fully accessible and houses the Tin Pickle, a vintage-themed snack shack. The Maritime Education Center is fully accessible and includes a “View from the Top” video, information on the history of the St. Augustine Lighthouse, a collection of historic ship models, and the artifact conservation lab.

“We are proud to award the Certified Autism Center™ designation to the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, highlighting their efforts and dedication to welcoming every individual to their location,” says Myron Pincomb, IBCCES board chairman. “This certification also plays a role in helping St. Johns County become a Certified Autism Destination™ (CAD), and we’re excited to see the impact this will have on every visitor.”

The St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum joins a growing number of tourism and recreation-related organizations in the area to complete certification as part of a larger initiative led by the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, aiming to achieve the Certified Autism Destination™ (CAD) designation. This initiative will ensure that the area offers multiple certified options for entertainment, recreation, and lodging for autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals and their families.

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.

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. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum
A unique landmark of St. Augustine for 150 years, the St. Augustine Light Station hosts centuries of the Nation’s Oldest Port^® history and educational programs. Through interactive exhibits, guided tours, and maritime research, the 501(c)(3), non-profit St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum is on a mission to discover, preserve, present, and keep alive the stories of the Nation’s Oldest Port^® as symbolized by our working lighthouse. Today, the Museum keeps the light shining as a private aid-to-navigation. We are the parent organization of the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), and together our two non-profits are an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. (www.StAugustineLighthouse.org).

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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