Airbnb hosts more likely to reject the disabled, a study finds

When Crystal Marie Garcia decided to try the home-rental service Airbnb for the first time, she had a few questions.

Garcia was planning a trip with her family to the Chicago area and wanted to know if the places she was considering could accommodate her needs as someone with muscular dystrophy. Unfortunately, she said, her questions appeared to scare off at least two potential hosts.

She said she feels that if she had not mentioned her disability, "they would have rented to me, no issue."

Other users have reported similar bias, and a new Rutgers University study suggests it may be common: Travelers with disabilities are more likely to be rejected and less likely to receive preapproval, or temporary clearance, for a potential stay, the authors found.

The researchers could not solely blame the findings on personal prejudice. They said physical inaccessibility was a major factor behind the disparity in hosts' responses. That, they said, raised concerns that businesses like Airbnb could exclude users with disabilities even as they expand access to services overall.

With more than 3 million listings, Airbnb has introduced new lodging options around the world, including many that meet the needs of people with disabilities. Last year, the company also instituted a non-discrimination policy and took steps to better handle complaints of bias, including assurances that users treated unfairly will have a place to stay.

"Discrimination of any kind on the Airbnb platform, including on the basis of ability, is abhorrent, a violation of our anti-discrimination policy and will result in permanent removal from our platform," the company said in a statement.

Like many businesses in the sharing economy, Airbnb operates in a regulatory haze, and protections imposed on other forms of lodging under the Americans with Disabilities Act may not always apply to Airbnb listings.

Airbnb said it has teamed with several disability organizations to better educate hosts, and it expects to release new accessibility listing and filtering features this summer.

"This is just the start, and we will continue to engage experts and leaders in this area to ensure our community is open and accessible to everyone," the company said in the statement.