Dubai Municipality has achieved another global milestone, with eight of its leading parks and recreational destinations officially certified as Certified Autism Centers™ (CAC) by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). The accredited destinations include: Dubai Frame, Children’s City, Quranic Park, Al Mamzar Beach Park, Mushrif National Park, Creek Park, Zabeel Park, and Safa Park.
This milestone underscores Dubai Municipality’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that all public facilities meet the highest international standards of accessibility and inclusion. With this certification, visitors with autism and sensory sensitivities — and their families — can enjoy a safe, welcoming, and supportive recreational environment. It also reaffirms Dubai’s status as a world-leading family destination that places inclusivity and quality of life at the heart of every experience.
Dubai Municipality earned this recognition following a comprehensive process that included extensive staff training on autism awareness and on-site facility evaluations. Employees demonstrated competence in supporting visitors with autism and sensory sensitivities, while facilities met stringent international standards of safety, accessibility, and visitor experience enhancement.
By earning this international certification for our parks and recreational destinations, we are setting new standards that enhance the experience of families with children on the autism spectrum, making visits easier, more accessible, and truly enjoyable. Our goal is to provide safe, inclusive, and engaging public spaces and parks where every family can connect and create lasting memories together.” Says Bader Anwahi, CEO of the Public Facilities Agency at Dubai Municipality. We have trained our teams to provide thoughtful support for visitors with autism, ensuring that every guest feels comfortable, valued, and genuinely cared for. This milestone reflects Dubai Municipality’s vision of building a city that is not only inclusive and liveable, but also welcoming in the truest sense — a place where families can relax and create lasting memories together. It is fully aligned with Dubai’s broader ambition to be a disability-friendly city and the best city in the world to live, work, and visit. Importantly, these eight destinations are only the beginning; our commitment is to expand this initiative across more of our sites so that inclusivity becomes the defining feature of every park and attraction in Dubai.”
Beyond staff training, these destinations underwent a full assessment to evaluate their suitability for visitors with autism and sensory sensitivities and to identify areas for enhancement. Based on the results, Dubai Municipality redesigned the visitor experience across its parks. Enhancements included designated parking spaces near entrances, clearer and more inclusive signage, sensory-friendly areas and “Quiet Rooms,” and improved restrooms and changing facilities. Additionally, wheelchair-accessible pathways and ramps, priority entrances, and assistance services have been expanded to ensure comfort and confidence for all families.
“IBCCES is honored to partner with Dubai Public Parks in this groundbreaking initiative,” says Myron Pincomb, CEO and board chairman of IBCCES. “By certifying eight parks and attractions, Dubai sets a global benchmark for inclusive public spaces and reaffirms its leadership in accessibility and innovation.”
The Certified Autism Center™ program is a vital part of IBCCES’ ongoing mission to work with global partners and local leadership to build communities that are welcoming to all. As more organizations in Dubai seek to meet the needs of autistic individuals and those with sensory sensitivities, Dubai Public Parks certification represents a significant milestone in this movement.
The 8 parks are also featured on the IBCCES Accessibility App™, a free tool designed to help individuals with autism and sensory needs find certified and inclusive locations globally. The app includes essential details such as hours of operation, sensory features, contact information, and visitor tips—supporting confident travel planning for families and individuals.
IBCCES has been the leading authority in cognitive disorder training and certification for over 20 years. Working with experts and self-advocates, the organization develops evidence-based programs for industries ranging from healthcare to hospitality. In addition to certification, IBCCES offers resources such as AccessibiltyCertified.com and AutismTravel.com, where families can explore listings of certified locations and connect with supportive services.
About Dubai Municipality
Dubai Municipality is a leading government institution driving Dubai’s growth and transformation. Committed to innovation, sustainability, and excellence, it works to make Dubai more beautiful, sustainable, and liveable every day. Guided by values of collaboration, positivity, competitiveness, and proactiveness, the Municipality ensures effective urban planning, city management, and high-quality municipal services that enhance residents’ well-being.
Providing 60 per cent of the Emirate’s public services, Dubai Municipality plays a vital role in urban development, public health, waste management, and the enhancement of parks and public spaces. Leveraging cutting-edge technology and future-focused strategies, it remains at the forefront of
innovation, delivering integrated services that support Dubai’s vision for a smart, resilient, and thriving global city.
About Dubai Municipality Parks
The Public Parks and Recreational Facilities Department at Dubai Municipality manages some of the emirate’s most iconic recreational and community destinations, including Dubai Frame, Children’s City, and a diverse network of public parks. The department is committed to providing sustainable green spaces that enrich community well-being, with a strong focus on innovation, safety, accessibility, and inclusion. Dubai Municipality Parks serve as a leading urban model for environmental balance and community engagement.
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 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.
