The National Museum of the Great Lakes Renews Its Certified Autism Center™ Designation from IBCCES

By recertifying, the museum continues its role in Destination Toledo’s initiative to establish Toledo as a Certified Autism Destination™

TOLEDO, OH, UNITED STATES, March 13, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) proudly renews The National Museum of the Great Lakes’ Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) designation. This certification renewal proves the museum’s dedication to create a welcoming and supportive environment, equipping staff with the skills and resources to best assist and support every visitor, especially autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals.

"Ensuring accessibility is a core part of our mission," says Ellen Kennedy, director of museum operations with the National Museum of the Great Lakes. "By renewing our designation as a Certified Autism Center™, we reaffirm our commitment to providing an inclusive and welcoming experience for all visitors. The Great Lakes belong to everyone, and we want to share their stories in a way that is accommodating and meaningful for all individuals and families, regardless of their needs."

In addition to training, the museum has also implemented sensory-friendly mornings, which take place on the second Saturday of every month. These dedicated mornings have been created especially for people with sensory sensitivities to allow for a truly immersive and comfortable visit.

Sensory-friendly mornings at the National Museum of the Great Lakes include:
- Limited crowds, ensuring a peaceful and relaxed environment.
- Dimmed lighting to create a calming ambiance.
- Lowered or even eliminated exhibit sounds, reducing auditory stimulation.

“IBCCES is proud to continue our partnership with the National Museum of the Great Lakes, and we look forward to seeing the continual impact this training and certification will have on every person who visits the museum, especially autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals and their families,” says Myron Pincomb, IBCCES board chairman.

By renewing their certification, the museum continues to play a role in an initiative started by Destination Toledo to turn Toledo into a Certified Autism Destination™ (CAD). IBCCES awards the CAD credential to communities with a multitude of trained and certified lodging, recreation, and entertainment options.

To enhance the visibility of their services and accessible offerings, the National Museum of the Great Lakes is also listed on the Accessibility App directory. Through the directory, users are able to view a gallery of the museum's location, the accommodations the museum offers and their address, contact information and hours of operation.

The IBCCES Accessibility App is free for users to download. This app provides individuals with a variety of information and resources related to certified organizations, sensory-friendly spaces, and navigating public locations. By connecting users to locations worldwide, employment opportunities, and access to several other accessibility resources, the app helps individuals with disabilities better navigate life and get the most out of daily activities.

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 National Museum of the Great Lakes
Founded in 1944, the Great Lakes Historical Society has been preserving our shared cultural history by publishing a quarterly journal Inland Seas^® since 1945; by operating a maritime museum since 1952; by offering educational programs to the general public since 1956; by conducting underwater archaeological research across the Great Lakes since 2001; and by managing the Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship since 2014 and Museum Tug Ohio since 2019. The opening of the National Museum of the Great Lakes enables the Great Lakes Historical Society to continue its mission to preserve and make known the important history of the Great Lakes.

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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