Clearwater launches initiative to become first autism certified city in Florida
Clearwater wants to be an autism certified city
Clearwater hopes to become the first city in Florida and the second city in the United States to be autism certified. FOX 13?s Kailey Tracy reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - On Thursday morning, Clearwater community leaders launched an initiative to become the first autism certified city in Florida and the second in the country.
The first is Mesa, Arizona.
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It’s a partnership between local leaders, Amplify Clearwater, the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards and Learning Independence for Tomorrow (LiFT). They say the city is committed to inclusivity and setting a precedent for other cities nationwide.
"Clearwater is proud to take this important step forward to explore becoming an Autism Certified City," Mayor Bruce Rector said. "This initiative reflects our dedication to creating a community where every resident and visitor feels welcome, supported and included."
"I am thrilled to be in the forefront and we, as a city, to send a message that's never been as important as it is right now of inclusivity, and that includes our neurodivergent community or those with challenges both physical and psychological that we welcome you," Vice Mayor Lina Teixeira said. "We welcome you as residents and we welcome as visitors, and it's very important that we send that message that you are welcome and that we will do whatever we can to support this community," she said.
Matt Spence, the Executive Director of LiFT, that’s goal is to level the playing field for individuals with learning differences and neurodiversity, says the accreditation process involves different trainings.
Tracking the Tropics
The online, self-paced trainings are specific to businesses, restaurants and other partners. They average about three to four hours.
"We just need kind of a critical mass of community partners," Spence said. "So, it's about two dozen businesses and entities throughout the city of Clearwater that would need to be certified, and once that happens, then the city earns a designation," he said.
"But that's really still only the start. We will continue to bring on partners. We'll continue to make our community welcoming to folks with neurodiversity, and I think people will see that those businesses that take this step will get more business. They'll get attention. They'll have a lot of kind of attractiveness to what they're offering and others will want to come join," Spence said.
According to Spence, the disability travel industry is an $8 billion a year industry.
"When you do something like this that is good for a specific population, it ends up benefiting everybody. The ripple effects are huge. We talk about when you create a ramp at the end of a sidewalk so that somebody in a wheelchair can get to and from places easily. That's also great for moms rolling a stroller along. It's great for skateboarders. It's great for people walking. There are all these positive ripple effects," Spence said.
What's next:
If you want to find out more about the initiative, or be a part of it visit AutismFriendlyClearwater.com.
The Source: This story was written with information provided by LiFT and Clearwater leaders.