Salt River Project Becomes First of Its Kind Designated as a Certified Autism Center™

MESA, Ariz., December 16, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​​Salt River Project (SRP) is the first water and power organization in the country to earn the Certified Autism Center™ designation (CAC), granted by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). The designation demonstrates the commitment SRP has made to neurodiversity and inclusive hiring practices. SRP staff completed a training and certification process through IBCCES to learn how to better attract and manage neurodiverse individuals, including those with autism, ADHD and other disorders.

“SRP is always looking for ways to become a more inclusive employer and becoming a Certified Autism Center supports that aim wholeheartedly,” says Stephanie Winn, Manager of Talent Acquisition. “With our recent partnership with The Precisionists, Inc., which included hiring individuals with autism for Records Management and Enterprise Systems Quality Assurance (QA), we knew that support systems and resources for our staff would be critical to successfully seeing that program through. We are thrilled that our team has additional training and resources to support this program and future hires.”

SRP was the first company in Arizona to partner with The Precisionists, Inc. to create job opportunities for people on the autism spectrum, harnessing their special talents, and providing valuable employees for the utility. Since the partnership began this year in 2019, SRP has hired 11 individuals supporting Records Management and Enterprise Systems QA and has plans to hire more. To build on this initiative, SRP joined a growing number of organizations in the Mesa community completing certification through IBCCES as part of an inclusion initiative spurred by Visit Mesa. Because of these efforts, Mesa, Arizona, is now the first Autism Certified City in the world.

For almost 20 years, IBCCES has been the industry leader in cognitive disorder training and certification for education, healthcare, and corporate professionals around the globe. IBCCES provides evidence-based training and certification programs created in conjunction with clinical experts and individuals with autism in order to provide professionals serving individuals with cognitive disorders a  better understanding of what these disorders are, industry best practices, varied perspectives, and the latest research in these areas.

“It’s exciting to have a forward-thinking organization like Salt River Project take the lead for their industry by seeking IBCCES certification. This is wonderful news for the individuals on the SRP team and we know this is just the beginning,” said Myron Pincomb, IBCCES Board Chairman.

About Salt River Project

Salt River Project has built a legacy by delivering water and power to the Phoenix metropolitan area for more than 100 years. Today, we are among the largest public power utilities in the nation and the Phoenix area’s largest supplier of raw water, serving more than two million businesses and residents in Central Arizona.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Patty Likens, SRP Spokesperson
P: (602) 236-2588  |  M: (602) 245-0047
​[email protected]

Meredith Tekin, President, IBCCES
Phone: 904.508.0135 // 904.434.1534
Email: [email protected]

Source: IBCCES