High Point Library Children’s Department Completes Autism Certification, Joins Visit High Point Accessibility Initiative

High Point Library Children’s Department is now a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC), a designation awarded by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) to organizations that complete training and certification to better understand and welcome autistic or sensory-sensitive guests and their families. In addition to staff training, IBCCES also conducted an onsite review to provide additional recommendations on how to better welcome and accommodate visitors.

“This program is so important because our mission is to serve everyone in our community with quality materials and programs. Becoming a Certified Autism Center™ helps us to create understanding and acceptance for our neurodivergent patrons,” said Sarah Nareau, Librarian II for Children’s Services at High Point Library.

In addition to the certification process, the Children’s Department of the Library plans to implement a monthly story time that is filled with crafts, songs, stories, and other activities designed to better support neurodivergent patrons. The team also wants to collaborate with other certified partners in High Point, like Q’s Corner, to create new programming options.

By completing the CAC program, the Children’s Department takes a step forward to be part of the larger initiative to achieve the Certified Autism Destination (CAD) designation, which is being led by Visit High Point. The goal of the CAD initiative is to welcome and attract new visitors to the area by ensuring there are a variety of autism-certified options when it comes to lodging, recreation, and entertainment. Currently, other organizations that have completed the CAC program include Q’s Corner and Visit High Point, with many other key locations in the area in the process of completion.

“The Certified Autism Destination initiative in High Point is growing, and IBCCES is excited to help provide programs to enhance accessibility for visitors, as well as community members. High Point has been working hard to build a more inclusive destination to meet the needs of autistic travelers and their families and is part of an elite group of destinations and communities nationwide leading the way in accessibility,” said Myron Pincomb, IBCCES Board Chairman.

 

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 created programs specifically for the hospitality and recreational organizations such as hotels, theme parks, and other attractions so staff would be more knowledgeable and other accommodations offered to this growing, but underserved, part of the community. IBCCES is the only credentialing board offering these types of programs, which include training from subject matter experts and autistic self-advocates, as well as long-term support and continuous learning, onsite reviews, and more.

IBCCES also created AutismTravel.com, a free online resource for parents that lists certified destinations and connects families to other resources and each other. Each destination listed on the site has met the Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) requirements.

About High Point Library Children’s Department

We want the High Point Public Library to be a trusted place for special populations to meet their personal, educational, and professional goals.  One of the ways we hope to strengthen that sense of trust is to become a certified autism center. Our children’s department has worked with The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), a global leader in training and certification programs, to be designated as a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC). Our staff has completed training and certification in best practices when assisting autistic individuals.