Mesa's Path to Accessibility
Mesa, Arizona, has set a new standard for accessible tourism by becoming the first Autism Certified City in the nation.
After a one-year process, in 2019, Mesa became the U.S.’s first Autism Certified City, denoted by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES).
Initially, Visit Mesa started on a small scale by working to get Mesa’s tourism bureau trained and certified by IBCCES. The IBCCES provides cognitive disorder training and certification so that professionals are better equipped with tools to best accommodate neurodiverse people in various settings. Once the bureau saw the positive effect the certification had, training was then extended to public-facing employees throughout the city and thus began the nearly year-long process of Mesa becoming an Autism Certified City.
Visit Mesa worked with its partners (including attractions, restaurants, and hotels) to have at least 80% of its customer-facing staff trained to recognize and understand developmental disability, which can cause challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, restricted interests, and speech/non-verbal communication. More than 500 Mesa Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities employees completed the training, along with nearly 4,000 community members representing 60 businesses and organizations.
In addition, sensory guides for Certified Autism Centers (as determined by IBCCES), such as the I.D.E.A Museum and the Arizona Museum of Natural History are made available in venues, detailing the effect that certain activities and interactions in the attraction can have on children who experience sensory overload.
Following the autism certification, Visit Mesa adopted the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program, making it the first U.S. city to do so. Through the program, which was first launched in the UK, Visit Mesa and other attractions around the city provide free sunflower lanyards and bracelets to visitors. These floral-themed accessories signal to hospitality employees and inform community members that the person or family wearing them may need extra assistance or patience navigating certain spaces.
Finally, Visit Mesa has partnered with Aira, which is an on-demand visual interpretation service for people who are either blind or have low vision. Through the app, individuals can connect with an agent who can assist with trip planning, menu reading, and more. The city has also launched a collaboration this year with Wheel of the World, which maps out accessibility information for various destinations with photos and measurements.
The Destination Effect is a joint initiative by Destinations International and Tempest. To share your destination's success story, please email join@destinationeffect.com.
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