Traveling can be quite the hurdle for someone with a disability. Transportation aside, those with physical limitations also have to determine in advance if their lodging accommodations will cater to their needs. A hotel with narrow doors or an Airbnb with steps, for example, could take an otherwise suitable option off the table.

Fortunately, that won’t be as much of a guessing game if you’re booking through Airbnb.

The online marketplace on Thursday announced the acquisition of Accomable, a platform that helps people find accessible hotels, vacation rentals and apartments.

Accomable was founded in 2015 by Srin Madipalli and Martyn Sibley, both of which have a type of Muscular Dystrophy called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. They were frustrated by how difficult it is to find accessible places while traveling and decided to do something about it.

Airbnb says that over the coming months, Accomable will be taken down and its listings integrated into its main service.

Up to this point, the only option for those with disabilities on Airbnb has been listings labeled as “wheelchair accessible.” That’s a vast term that can mean a lot of different things. With the Accomable integration, users will be able to search for several key metrics such as step-free entries, wide doors and more. The more information you have about a potential destination, the better.

The new functionality is already rolling out onto the web and will be added to Airbnb’s Android and iOS apps in the coming months.

 

by: Techspot