This Founder Is Making Inclusion Easier to Find
Ashley Hanchett didn't set out to build a startup. She set out to find a dance class.
As a mom of three, including her oldest daughter, who is neurodivergent, Hanchett spent years navigating Atlanta's special needs landscape long before INCLUO existed. The company's roots trace back roughly six years to when her daughter was 14 months old and showing signs of low muscle tone, what doctors call "hypotonic." Hanchett's father-in-law, a physician, noticed it first. Like many first-time parents, Hanchett admits she was in denial.
"She's not crawling. She's not sitting up on her own. She's not hitting these milestones," Hanchett recalled thinking once she accepted that something needed to change. The family enrolled her daughter in early intervention programs, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy. That's how Hanchett met physical therapist Dr. Tara Marsh, a relationship that would quietly plant the seed for INCLUO.
Hanchett and Marsh spent years swapping information about programs around Atlanta that could help kids like hers build strength and skills. Hanchett would call Marsh whenever she found a new resource, and Marsh would pass along tips from her other clients. "I just figured I'd put together a guide," Hanchett said.
The real turning point came later, when Hanchett searched for a dance class for her daughters. As a trained dancer herself, she expected the process to be simple. Instead, she found something exhausting and demoralizing.
"The amount of time, research, phone calls, pre-screen visits — which is essentially walking in to have your child judged — was daunting," Hanchett said. "It was extremely discouraging. I often felt disconnected and isolated."
When she talked about the experience with other parents, she realized it wasn't unique to her. Hanchett points to research showing that more than 70 percent of families with special needs children stay home rather than participate in everyday activities, simply because accommodation aren’t available.
"Isolating is not something I'm willing to do," she said. "That is why I am a big proponent of inclusion."
That belief comes from her own family. Hanchett has watched her neurotypical children develop empathy and patience by growing up alongside their sister, while her oldest daughter has picked up new skills, like walking and riding a scooter, by watching her younger siblings.
"My neurotypical children learn empathy, patience, and understanding," Hanchett said. "While my neurodivergent child, for example, learned how to walk from watching her sister take her first steps."
That dynamic shaped Hanchett's mission: to bring more awareness to the need for inclusion, not just for one type of disability, but across the board.
What INCLUO Does
INCLUO is a directory-style platform built to be the "know before you go" resource for inclusive spaces. The idea is simple but ambitious: instead of just labeling a business as "accessible," INCLUO tells visitors specifically how it accommodates different needs.
Early attempts to build the directory by scraping the internet for information ran into a problem familiar to anyone working with public data. Most businesses simply don't advertise the accommodation they offer, even when they exist.
So INCLUO asks businesses directly. Is there a designated quiet room? Are staff trained to support someone experiencing sensory overload? Are there flexible wait times or rules for guests with different needs? The goal, Hanchett said, is for families to walk in already knowing what to expect.
The platform isn't limited to one category of disability. Hanchett points out that while wheelchair accessibility is the most advertised accommodation, businesses are increasingly offering sensory-friendly options as well. INCLUO aims to cover psychological, physical/mobility, learning disability, deaf/hard of hearing, chronic health/medical, blind/visually impaired, and autism.
Hanchett offers a simple example: a person who is visually impaired entering an unfamiliar public restroom. A tactile or braille map near the entrance, or a sink, soap dispenser, and towels grouped together instead of spread across the wall, can make a major difference. These are low-cost changes, she said, that businesses can make right away.
Where Things Stand
The INCLUO web platform is built and accessible via its website, with a native app in development. The company is currently in what Hanchett calls a soft launch, focused entirely on onboarding businesses before opening to the public in Atlanta.
"Once we onboard a certain number of local businesses, then we can shift our focus to consumer sign-ups here in Atlanta for beta, before scaling to national coverage," Hanchett said. The plan is to launch locally first, gather feedback, and apply those lessons before expanding nationwide.
For now, outreach happens through targeted email campaigns, digital marketing efforts, and community partnerships. Hanchett says the response from businesses has been encouraging.
INCLUO's initial focus is on extracurricular activities and everyday experiences such as dance studios, soccer programs, restaurants, museums, and retail spaces. Hanchett says local museums have already partnered with the platform, and she hopes more Atlanta organizations will follow.
For Hanchett, the work is personal, but the impact she hopes for is universal. With INCLUO, she wants families to stop wondering whether a space will work for them and start knowing before they even leave the house.