study found<\/a> that people with disabilities were often rejected by Airbnb hosts, even when the hosts said their lodgings were wheelchair accessible.<\/p>\nAirbnb said that the study was out of date, and that it\u2019s taking steps to improve accessibility, including new ways for hosts to describe accessibility features, host education materials and trained customer service. \u201cAirbnb has a permanent team of engineers, data scientists, researchers and designers whose sole purpose is to advance belonging and inclusion and to root out bias, including bias against people with disabilities,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
Arun Sundararajan, a New York University business professor and author of the book \u201cThe Sharing Economy,\u201d generally believes in a laissez-faire attitude toward these new companies. But in the case of disability access, he thinks the government should step in if the companies don\u2019t do enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegulation is necessary when there\u2019s market failure, which means, if left to its own devices, the market under-provides something society needs,\u201d he said. \u201cTo me, the right response for Uber and Lyft would be to mandate a minimum fraction of vehicles in any given geographic area that are wheelchair accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Airbnb, he said, it would be strategic for it to proactively invest in ensuring it has accessible listings, and verifying their claims itself, rather than relying on its reviews system to do so.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a serious issue that requires a new approach,\u201d he said. \u201cThere always will be a necessary role for government intervention to set standards and place minimums. This may require a creative new way to share responsibility between the (companies) and the government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Madipalli welcomes those much larger companies addressing the issue.<\/p>\n
Long term, his goal is for Accomable to be a one-stop shop for accessible travel. \u201cWe\u2019d be a marketplace for all these services \u2014 accommodations, specialty equipment, adaptive cars, insurance,\u201d he said. \u201cI want to encourage others that they can do things; that their disability shouldn\u2019t be a barrier.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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