Escape Room Palm Springs Cracks the Code to Inclusion with Certified Autism Center™ Designation

Interior of a graffiti-covered room featuring the words "SNEET" and "TEETH" on the walls, with a grey container in the corner.

A hallway filled with green laser beams projected from circular devices against the walls, creating a maze-like effect.

A dimly lit room with stone walls, featuring wooden furniture, illuminated display cases, and mystical artwork on the walls.

By completing the CAC process, Escape Room Palm Springs joins Visit Greater Palm Springs’ initiative that helped make the region a Certified Autism Destination™

One hundred percent of our staff has been trained, with several of us being neurodiverse ourselves, to ensure every player feels safe, welcomed, and fully included.”

— Dominique Fruchtman, ERPS owner

PALM SPRINGS, CA, UNITED STATES, January 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Escape Room Palm Springs (ERPS) earns the Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) designation from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) after staff completed autism-specific training to equip them with knowledge of best practices and skills to welcome, support and include every person who visits the escape room, including autistic and sensory-sensitive players.

“One hundred percent of our staff has been trained, with several of us being neurodiverse ourselves, to ensure every player feels safe, welcomed, and fully included,” says Dominique Fruchtman, ERPS owner. “Escape Room Palm Springs is incredibly grateful to the Greater Palm Springs Tourism Foundation for its generous Autism Reimbursement Grant, which enabled us to become a Certified Autism Center™.”

“IBCCES is proud to welcome Escape Room Palm Springs into the ever-growing family of Certified Autism Centers™ around the world,” says Myron Pincomb, IBCCES board chairman. “This certification is a testament to the escape room’s continued efforts to empower staff, foster positive game experiences, and set inclusive standards within the industry.”

In addition to staff training, ERPS offers numerous accessibility features in its various rooms to ensure every player can enjoy all the games have to offer. Some of these accommodations include lever-style handles utilized throughout the games, puzzles being placed at heights and positions accessible for wheelchair users, closed captions on videos, large print or simplified instructions, and lighting adjustments available upon request. Puzzles can also be modified to include vibrations for anyone who may be deaf or hard of hearing. A quiet lobby and outdoor seating can be utilized for needed sensory breaks throughout the games as well.

By completing the CAC process, Escape Room Palm Springs joins a wider movement initiated by Visit Greater Palm Springs, which turned Greater Palm Springs 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 more than two decades, 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, Escape Room Palm Springs 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 Escape Room Palm Springs
In 2015, two IT pros, Mark and Dominique Fruchtman, decided that crawling under desks forever wasn’t the dream they envisioned. Instead, they opened the Inland Empire’s very first escape room, saving Palm Springs residents the 105-mile trek to Anaheim for an escape room fix. Ten years on, Escape Room Palm Springs has cracked the TripAdvisor code, having been named the #1 rated escape room in California on TripAdvisor out of 360+ rooms in the state. It also just received TripAdvisor’s 2025 Travelers Choice award, an honor bestowed upon only 10% of the world’s top attractions. Escape Room Palm Springs and its stellar employees are the proud recipients of The Champions of Hospitality, Attractions Category, three years in a row! Who knows, maybe there is a fourth award on the horizon? This prestigious employee recognition award is sponsored by Visit Great Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley’s official tourism marketing agency.

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 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.

Meredith Tekin
IBCCES
+1 904-508-0135
marketing@ibcces.org
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