Learn How to List Your Accessible Property with United Spinal Association and Airbnb’s Entrepreneurship Academy

Thanks to a new partnership between United Spinal Association and Airbnb, it’s easier than ever for people with mobility disabilities to discover what it takes to list their properties and get involved in the booming hosting industry. United Spinal and Airbnb are developing a first-of-its-kind program designed to teach people with mobility needs how to display the accessibility features of their homes on their listing pages.

Airbnb and United Spinal will be associated through Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy, a business development program that introduces people from diverse and historically underrepresented communities to hosting on Airbnb. In recent years, Airbnb has made it easier to find and host affordable housing on its platform. Guests can now search for homes using detailed accessibility filters and browse homes around the world with verified access without steps on their Adapted category.

“Our partnership with United Spinal is a testament to our shared goal of fostering entrepreneurship within the disability community, as well as making travel more accessible for people with all needs,” says Suzanne Edwards, Director of Standards. accessibility for Airbnb accommodation. “We are excited to work together and help spread the economic benefits of tourism and Airbnb accommodations to new communities.

“As a wheelchair user, I have found hosting very easy and a very good and beneficial thing to do,” says Edwards. “I really hope this provides the framework and tools to help other people take that step, alleviate some of their concerns and then support them in the process. “There is a lot of demand for affordable housing and hosting is also a great way to supplement your income.”

In the United States alone, Airbnb hosts earned more than $24 billion in supplemental income in 2023, helping them pay bills, save for retirement, and cover housing costs. Searches using Airbnb accessibility filters have grown 40% over the past year, indicating strong demand for accessible listings.

United Spinal will provide information as the Academy curriculum develops, and as with all Academy programs, participants will hear directly from current hosts about how to achieve success on Airbnb. Since its creation in 2017, the Academy has helped more than 4,500 participants in 12 countries learn how to host on Airbnb.

“Airbnb shares our commitment to making travel around the world accessible for wheelchair users, including identifying accommodations with accessibility features in their destinations,” says Vincenzo Piscopo, CEO and President of United Spinal. “This will create economic opportunities for our community while providing many more wheelchair accessible properties in popular tourist destinations around the world.”

Interested United Spinal members can learn more about the next Academy program. The first is expected to be in July. You can enter your contact information and receive a notification once the Academy dates have been finalized and registration is open.