The Riverside County Board of Supervisors Tuesday started the meeting with a series of presentations, one of which recognized the efforts of Visit Greater Palm Springs (VGPS) to turn the Coachella Valley into a Certified Autism Destination.
“I think it says a lot about our area, our destination, and obviously it demonstrates to the families that we care,” Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said at the April 28 meeting where the board recognized Autism Awareness Month.
Josh Heinz, community engagement manager with VGPS, said the initiative started back in 2021 and came about after he shared his personal experiences with the organization’s staff.
Heinz has three sons, all of whom are on the autism spectrum, he said in an interview with The Riverside Record. The two oldest have very high support needs and live in group homes where they can receive full-time care, Heinz said, while his youngest has fewer challenges.
As part of their work to support people with autism and their families, both Heinz and his wife put on the annual Concert of Autism in the Coachella Valley with proceeds going to the nonprofit Desert Autism Foundation, which helps families afford vital therapies and activities while advocating for more accommodating communities.
“And our CEO said, ‘Josh, have you ever heard of autism certification,’” Heinz recalled. “And I said, ‘No, I have not.’ And he said, ‘Let’s talk about it after this call.”
From there, Heinz learned about the work being done in Mesa, Arizona, which was recognized in 2019 by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) as the first-ever Autism Certified City in the nation.
“What that meant was that they had to get stakeholders in all walks of life to take the IBCCES training,” Heinz said. “They had to have a hospital, they had to have schools, they had to have first responders, they had to have parks and rec.”
To be a Certified Autism Destination, the requirements are limited to hospitality-related businesses like hotels, restaurants, attractions and venues, Heinz said.
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“I met with IBCCES, and we learned about the program, and we said, ‘All right, let’s do it,’” Heinz said. “And so we, as an organization, got certified, became a Certified Autism Center.”
After launching the initiative, Heinz said The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert was the first to jump on board to become certified. From there, the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Palm Desert became certified.
“To have one of the biggest attractions and definitely the biggest resort jump on board with the initiative right out of the gate was really awesome,” Heinz said. “And it really set the tone.”
Roughly five years after Heinz’s first conversations about certification, there are now more than 30 Certified Autism Centers in the region, including the cities of Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, La Quinta and Desert Hot Springs.
“That’s 3,500 people [who] know a little bit more about autism so that they can use that knowledge in everyday life,” Heinz told the supervisors. “That’s the real true impact of this is it makes our community a greater place to live, work and play and visit.”
Ultimately, Heinz said he would love to see other communities in Riverside County, and across the U.S., become certified. He said he understood that the effort could be cost prohibitive for some, especially since the certification has to be renewed every two years, but said he felt the price was worth it.
“From my perspective, as a parent who’s been in the autism world for 25 years, I feel like the training is very valuable,” he said in an interview with The Record. “There are things that I’m reminded of every two years when I take the training, and there are also new practices and new language that comes about, and best practices that I learn about.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1 in 31 children were identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among a 2022 sample of 8-year-olds. The CDC said ASD is over three times more common among boys than girls.
“Autism is so common that it’s inevitable that you are going to have guests [on the spectrum] who want to visit your place of business,” Heinz said. “And they want to feel comfortable, and they want to feel supported, and when they see that an organization has taken the time and made the investment to do that, they are more likely to visit, and when they have a great experience, they’re going to talk about it.”
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