With one in 59 children
diagnosed with autism in the U.S., special needs travel is the fastest growing
family travel segment. Beaches Resorts’ new level of commitment to this
underserved market empowers its staff to confidently ensure every family can
enjoy the award-winning Luxury Included® vacation experience in a safe, fun and
comfortable manner tailored to their specific needs.
“We are proud to continue
paving the way for families with individuals who have special needs, including
children on the autism spectrum, to travel comfortably and truly live up to our
tagline – the ‘Resorts for Everyone’,” said Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of
Sandals Resorts International. “As a family-built brand, we want to provide all
families with a superior level of service that makes them feel the most
welcomed at our resorts. We are especially excited to further expand this
important training to our resort’s watersports program, with PADI® certified
dive professionals and other team members earning a special ‘ACAC’ designation
for each Aqua Center at Beaches, allowing children on the spectrum to safely
experience the incredible waters of the Caribbean.”
The Certification Process &
Special Services
The ACAC designation is the
next level of certification once an organization has achieved the CAC
certification. It underscores that the organization has gone above and beyond
to train its staff and provide substantial modifications for visitors with
autism or similar sensory needs, and designations are granted by the IBCCES.
The ACAC certification process
– which will come to life across different aspects of the resorts, both
pre-travel and on property – entails a variety of important aspects including:
An in-depth training of 40
credit hours on autism sensitivity and awareness, in the areas of
communication, motor skills, social skills, environment awareness, emotional
awareness, bullying, early childhood identification, transition to adulthood,
and more.
Activities and
accommodations that must be available for guests on the spectrum
An annual onsite audit and
review
Substantial changes to
protocols and physical space to accommodate various needs
Special Services include the
option of a ‘One-on-One Beaches Buddy’ – personalized, private childcare with a
buddy who is certified by IBCCES, and can be pre-booked (for a nominal fee) –
as well as:
A personalized pre-travel questionnaire
to identify requests and preferences with a dedicated Special Services team to
assist in the vacation planning process
A Culinary Concierge
program to support specific dietary restrictions and special requests
Modified check-in options
for private, in-room, check-in and the availability of sensory toys for
children during check-in
Identification of quiet
spaces during noisier times of the day and evening
Modified design and
decoration in Kids Camps and Entertainment areas to create a more sensory-friendly
environment
Since achieving the CAC
certification in April 2017, Beaches Resorts has also been instrumental in
extending training to hundreds of its travel agent partners, as well as
internal sales and marketing teams, through IBCCES’ Certified Travel Agent
Professional (CATP) in an effort to better communicate with and assist families
within this highly specialized market.
“Beaches Resorts has gone above
and beyond to lead the hospitality industry toward a more inclusive future for
all families seeking unforgettable vacations tailored to their needs,” said
Myron, Board Chairman of IBCCES. “By becoming the first resorts to achieve the
ACAC certification, Beaches is even more prepared to welcome families with
autism, and we applaud them for their ongoing commitment and leadership in
providing travel options for this underserved market.”
“Diving has frequently proven
to be a transformative and healing experience for individuals with physical or
emotional challenges and their families,” said Kristin Valette-Wirth,
Chief Marketing Officer of PADI Worldwide. “We are honored to work together
with our global network of dive centers and resorts, including our longtime
partner in Beaches Resorts, and IBCCES to offer more opportunities for those
with special needs to heal, explore and connect through diving. Together with
Beaches Resorts and IBCCES, we look forward to inspiring and enabling more
travel and shared experiences for all to create lifelong memories that have the
power to transform lives.”
The Introduction of Sesame
Street’s Julia
In September 2017, as part of
its long-standing partnership with Sesame Workshop ®, Beaches Resorts introduced the arrival of
Julia, a Sesame Street Muppet on the autism spectrum, who brought an exclusive
new activity to Beaches Resorts: Amazing
Art with Julia. During this activity, children are greeted by Julia, a
4-year-old girl on the autism spectrum, who loves to paint. Julia highlights
how people can express themselves through art, and children can explore,
experiment and create in an open-ended art activity. As part of brand-wide
efforts to increase awareness of autism, all Beaches Resorts staff underwent sensitivity
training with “Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children”
resources.
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
#Haiti#Crisis#HumanitarianEfforts#ECHO, April 23rd, 2024 – Due to the worsening Humanitarian crisis in Haiti with an increase in death toll and injured people, The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), launched an emergency airlift of 5 flights carrying essentials which include up to 62 tons of medicine as well as emergency shelter equipment, and water and sanitation items. These were brought to Cap Haitien according to a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on April 19, as the international Airport in Port au prince remains closed following the gang attack last month.
#Dominica#LGBTQIA, April 24, 2034- Dominica has decided to remove colonial era laws that criminalized gay sex, joining Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda.
This comes almost five years after a man of the queer community, whose identity was withheld for his safety, spoke out against Dominica’s laws in 2019, saying they violated his rights.