22 June 8th–June 14th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | music | cafe | film | culTuRe | NighT+Day | feaTuRe | NeWs | OPiNiON | feeDBacK | cONTeNTs | depending on the size of the business and other factors, according to Nava Singham, CEO and founder of Kind Hospitality. Its brands include locations of Macayo’s Mexican Food, Native Grill & Wings and Panera Bread. Often, it’s not that hard to make a visit more comfortable. For example, Singham says, “The hosts and managers know not to seat somebody [with autism] right in the heavy traffic areas; to give them an area that doesn’t stimulate their world.” And if a situation arises, employees are trained to be calm and patient “without stirring up additional emotions,” he adds. Singham says the impetus for pursuing the certification came from his sister, Nirmala Thuraisingam, a teacher and daycare owner who has worked with students with autism for 24 years. Recently, she met with a previous student for a social visit at a restaurant and was delighted that the server was patient, let her former student take his time ordering and delivered the food exactly as he requested. “This student of mine couldn’t have his eggs and hash browns put on the same plate,” she says. Others may have different triggers, such as not being able to sit near a blowing fan. “If you have the knowledge, you can identify customers who are on the spec- trum and you can support them to enjoy dining out,” Thuraisingam says. Visit Mesa, the marketing organization for the East Valley city, has been a leader in making sure people with autism have a good time at many of its member restau- rants and elsewhere. The organization has a tab on its website for “autism travel.” The group works to get partner busi- nesses certified by the IBCCES and was the catalyst for Mesa becoming the first autism-certified city in the U.S. in 2019. Its fire, police, parks and other departments participate as well. “Over 80 percent of families who have someone on the spectrum do not travel,” says Alison Brooks, the vice president of destination experience and advocacy for Visit Mesa. Getting the certification “provides this empathy that you may never have even considered,” she notes. “When you are traveling, you’re taking this child out of their normal day-to-day routine.” In fact, that’s how Visit Mesa started the program. Its president and CEO, Marc Garcia, has a child with autism and had an unhappy experience with a hospitality professional while on a trip. Any kind of disruption can cause meltdowns among those with autism which can be jarring — not only for fellow patrons but also for employees who don’t understand or aren’t prepared, says Brooks. When servers have been certified through IBCCES, families “can be confi- dent that these trained individuals might pause and say, ‘Can I help you with some- thing?’ and not give unsolicited advice or a judgmental stare,” Brooks says. “The inter- action is so much improved.” Austism Accomodation from p 21