Airbnb’s New Filters Make Traveling With Disabilities That Much Easier

Courtesy Airbnb

Airbnb added 21 new filters to the site’s search function to make it easier for guests with disabilities to find accessible accommodations around the world.

The home-sharing service will allow travelers to filter rooms by specific metrics, such as wide doorways and elevators, instead of simply “wheelchair accessible.”

“As a person with disabilities and passionate traveler, I am hugely excited by the changes we’re making at Airbnb,” Srin Madipalli, an accessibility product and program management manager at Airbnb, said in a statement. “We are making it easier for everyone to share their adapted homes with travelers with disabilities around the world.”

Airbnb

Guests can now search properties for accessibility, including:

• Step-free access
• Wide doorways
• A well-lit path to the entrance
• A flat path to the front door
• Hallways at least 36 inches wide
• Elevators
• Accessible-height bed
• Wide clearance to bed
• Roll-in shower with chair
• Bathtub with shower chair
• Accessible-height toilet
• Wide clearance to in the bathroom
• Fixed grab bars for shower and toilet
• Handheld showerhead

You can also check to see whether there’s a city-approved parking spot or a parking space at least 8 feet (2.4 meters) wide at the property.

Airbnb

The home-sharing company is working with the California Council of the Blind, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers and National Council on Independent Living to create the filters, but it’s a constantly evolving work in progress.

Just like all of the amenities in any Airbnb — except for Airbnb Plus — it’s on the honor system. Airbnb won’t be sending representatives to each home to measure the width of the hallways, so guests will rely on user reviews to hold hosts accountable.