Inclusion Takes the Big Screen: The Garden Theater Renews Certified Autism Center™ Designation

By renewing its CAC designation, The Garden Theater helps maintain Traverse City’s Certified Autism Destination™ status.

FRANKFORT, MI, UNITED STATES, January 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) proudly renews The Garden Theater’s designation as a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC). To earn this accreditation, at least 80% of guest-facing staff completed autism and sensory training to ensure they are up-to-date with understanding of best practices and skills to welcome and support autistic and sensory-sensitive visitors and their
families.

"At our small arthouse theater in Northern Michigan, we believe building community means every person should feel welcome, safe, and supported. By training our staff and volunteers in autism and sensory sensitivity, we're creating a space where neurodiverse individuals can fully experience the magic of film and connection,” says Katie Jones, executive director of The Garden Theater.

Training provides staff with clear, standardized protocols for interacting with guests with autism and other invisible disabilities. This reduces hesitation, guesswork, and the time it takes for staff to decide how to handle a situation, leading to faster and more confident service. Building visitor loyalty, providing better guest service and expanding the definition of “accessibility” are tangible results of training and certification that help organizations expand their reach and serve a larger population while creating a supportive and welcoming environment.

“We are proud to recognize The Garden Theater for renewing its Certified Autism Center™ designation and for its continued commitment to accessibility and inclusion,” says Myron Pincomb, IBCCES board chairman. “Through this renewal, The Garden Theater is helping ensure that Traverse City remains a welcoming destination where all visitors can fully enjoy the arts and feel a true sense of belonging. This continued dedication sets an important example for cultural venues everywhere.”

By renewing its CAC designation, The Garden Theater continues to play a role in the wider movement Traverse City Tourism spearheaded to turn Traverse City into a Certified Autism Destination™ (CAD). The CAD designation means visitors have multiple trained and certified options to choose from when in the area, including entertainment, recreation, and lodging.

For 25 years, 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.

To further support inclusivity efforts, The Garden Theater is featured on the IBCCES Accessibility App, which is free to download. This app provides individuals with a variety of disabilities real-time guidance on certified destinations, sensory-friendly spaces, and tailored recommendations. By connecting users to accessible locations worldwide, the app helps ensure seamless, enjoyable experiences for everyone.

IBCCES also provides access to resources such as AccessibilityCertified.com and AutismTravel.com, free online tools for families that list certified locations and professionals. Each organization listed on the site has met IBCCES certification requirements.

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About The Garden Theater
In 2018, the 501(c)3 Friends of The Garden Theater was formed with the mission to use our historic theater to build a stronger community. Our vision is that the Garden Theater will act as a gathering space, using film, music and private events to enhance our community vitality. We have committed to the growth of the theater, becoming more than just a movie house, now offering live music, dance, storytelling and theater. By increasing the amount of shared artistic and cultural experiences, we strive to further the depth of community connectivity and artistic appreciation in Benzie County. Located on the corner of Main Street in downtown Frankfort, mere blocks from idyllic Lake Michigan, The Garden Theater has served its community since it opened its doors in 1924.

The Garden Theater supports an inclusive environment for experiencing art and community without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or disability. All staff and volunteers at The Garden must adhere to this code of ethics. The Garden has advanced its efforts in the past year to be accessible for all by the construction of ADA compliant restrooms, building out a new area for wheelchair access, and upgrading the hearing impaired system and equipment. The Garden Theater is also extremely proud to announce that through IBCCES, the theater has been designated as a Certified Autism Center. This certification allows us to create an inclusive, safe environment for every patron who wishes to experience art at The Garden. You can learn more about what being a Certified Autism Center means here: https://ibcces.org/cac-family-entertainment-centers-fecs/.

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 industry leaders and improve the outcomes for the individuals they serve. For 25 years, 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  AccessibilityCertified.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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