Established in October 2023, the Southwest Airlines Customer Accessibility Advisory Committee provides an opportunity for us to collaborate and engage directly with the disability community—honoring our commitment to work with a passenger accessibility advisory group whose invaluable real-world perspectives help shape our policies, refine procedures, enhance training programs, and steer future initiatives Companywide. Through collaboration with Southwest, committee members actively contribute to the delivery of the Legendary Customer Service that defines our brand, ensuring it is provided to all of our Customers.
Southwest is honored to have the following distinguished individuals as members of our Customer Accessibility Advisory Committee:
Dr. Amanda Kraus
Dr. Amanda Kraus serves as Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Arizona, where she has worked for more than twenty years. As the university’s senior leader for co-curricular student experiences, she oversees departments responsible for disability access, student safety, health and wellness, career development, student involvement, and housing.
Dr. Kraus is also an Associate Professor of Practice in Higher Education and has taught graduate-level courses in student services, student development, and disability in higher education. Her scholarship focuses on universal design in student services, student veterans, and disability dynamics within higher education.
She is the Immediate Past President of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and has collaborated with a wide range of institutions and organizations—including Singapore Management University, Duke University, Wake Forest University, Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)—to advance equity and inclusion in higher education. She was selected to participate in two delegations convened by the U.S. Department of State focused on disability access in education and employment, engaging in dialogue in Beijing, China, and later in Washington, D.C. Additionally, she has consulted internationally on universal design at Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore and United States International University–Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.
Beyond her professional work, Dr. Kraus is an avid wheelchair tennis player and previously served for many years on the Board of the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Southwest Section, where she worked to increase the visibility of wheelchair tennis. She currently serves on the Board of Visit Tucson and was appointed to Southwest Airlines’ inaugural Customer Accessibility Advisory Committee.
Dr. Kraus earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Higher Education from the University of Arizona and holds a B.A. in Social History from Carnegie Mellon University.
Becca Bell
Becca is the National Program Project Manager for Canine Companions. Becca first began as a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions while earning a degree in Psychology from UC Davis. She began working for Canine Companions in 2005, completing an apprenticeship program to learn how to train and place service dogs with people with disabilities at the Oceanside, CA location. She earned her certification as a Service Dog Instructor in 2008.
In 2015, Becca relocated to Irving, Texas and helped found the new South Central region of Canine Companions. As the Puppy Program Manager, Becca focused on building and supporting a volunteer base to raise and train 8-week-old puppies until they were ready to enter professional training at 18 months of age. In 2022, Becca relocated to Portland, Oregon where she now works remotely as the National Program Project Manager. She assists the breeding, puppy raising, training, and client services departments in developing new materials and other projects. One particular focus is educating Canine Companions staff and clients about airline travel with service dogs.
Becca volunteers as an accreditation assessor for Assistance Dogs International (ADI), the leading authority in the assistance dog industry. ADI regularly assesses ADI candidate and accredited member organizations to ensure that they are meeting the highest standards in the industry.
Jennison Asuncion
Jennison is a leading figure in digital accessibility. He first became interested in digital accessibility when he attended a summer program teaching blind and visually-impaired students how to use assistive technologies, such as braille displays and screen magnification software.
His dedication to digital accessibility began in 2006 with the Royal Bank of Canada, where he improved web and mobile experiences for customers and employees with disabilities. He was recruited by LinkedIn in 2013, and he is currently based in Silicon Valley as the company’s head of accessibility engineering evangelism.
In addition to his role at LinkedIn, Jennison co-founded several key initiatives to promote digital accessibility, including Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) and the GAAD foundation, as well as various Accessibility Camps and meetups across North America.
Jennison's contributions to the field have been widely recognized. He received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, the Stephen Garff Marriott Award in 2018, and was named a top LinkedIn power player by Business Insider in 2020. In 2023, Concordia University honored him as Benoît Pelland Alumnus of the Year for his outstanding professional and community achievements.
Jennison also currently serves as the Board Chair for the LightHouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired in San Francisco, further demonstrating a commitment to enhancing the lives of individuals with visual impairments.
Lauren Howard
Lauren Howard is the Vice President of Sensory Tool House, LLC, and co-founder of Equity Access Solutions, LLC. Lauren is the mother of three neurodivergent children, ages 10, 12, and 16, and is neurodivergent herself. An avid volunteer, Lauren has sat on the Board of Directors at South Sound Parent to Parent for 8 years and has been honored with multiple awards for her contributions to the First Special Forces Group formation over the course of her husband’s career, including Green Beret Spouse of the Year in 2023 and the COL Martha Raye award in 2025. Lauren attended UC Davis and earned a Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior.
Lauren Taylor, M.S., CRC, LPC-A
Lauren is an alumnus of the University of North Texas Rehabilitation Counseling program. She is currently employed by UNT WISE ENGAGE as a Senior Program Project Coordinator, where she works with neurodivergent students to enhance their independence and work towards their personal, academic, social, and vocational goals. She is also employed by Balanced Life Solutions and Prosper Health as a Licensed Professional Counselor, where she sees clients with and without disabilities for mental health therapy. Additionally, Lauren is a LEADer for To Be Like Me, a non-profit in Dallas operated by people of various disabilities designed to educate today’s youth and communities about disabilities.
Lauren was born with Muscular Dystrophy and has been a full-time power chair user since the age of 3. Lauren is an all-around advocate for people with disabilities. She loves to provide training and presentations about Universal Design, Disability Etiquette, and the Rights of Service Dogs and their Handlers. Her Canine Companions service dog, Buchanan, retired in 2025, but he continues to be a driving force behind her advocacy work.
To date, Lauren was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Texas in 2019, an advocacy title that allowed her to travel the state of Texas to educate on and advocate for her platform of Universal Design as the Solution for Inclusion. Lauren was later appointed to the Texas Board of Architecture Examiners, followed by joining the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities to aid in the growth of disability recognition across the state. Lauren views air travel as the final frontier for accessibility and is passionate about equitable flight services for people with disabilities.
