About Accessible Austin Initiative

The Accessible Austin Initiative (AAI) is a disability-inclusion effort working at two levels in Austin: citywide policy, and grassroots, storefront-level change.

The policy work

At the city level, AAI has put forward a six-proposal framework to Austin City Council aimed at making Austin the most disability-inclusive city in Texas — including a voluntary business certification program, a WCAG compliance requirement for city vendors, a free city-run accessibility audit program, and a flagship tax incentive program modeled on Austin's Chapter 380 pay-for-performance framework. This work has been presented to Austin City Council, connects with the Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities, and is grounded in research shared with the City's Office of Equity and Inclusion.

The Entryway Access Check

The Entryway Access Check is AAI's community-facing program — the visible, tangible counterpart to the policy work. Rather than waiting on ordinances, it gives Austin businesses a free, immediate way to have their entrance assessed and recognized right now. It's built to be simple: nine criteria, a 15-minute visit, and a clear result — a sticker for the window and a listing in a public directory.

Who runs it — Shreyan Khanna

AAI's Entryway Access Check is currently run by Shreyan Khanna, a student researcher and accessibility advocate based in Austin, who also co-founded an accessibility compliance practice and has published peer-reviewed research on digital and physical accessibility. Assessments are currently conducted solo, with a pilot goal of 50 Austin businesses.