Airbnb and United Spinal have partnered to launch the new Airbnb Entrepreneurship Academy.
Airbnb
Earlier this month, San Francisco-based Airbnb announced it was partnering with the United Spinal Association to host the Airbnb Entrepreneur Academy. Airbnb described the Academy as an “entrepreneurship training program that introduces people from diverse and historically underrepresented communities to hosting on the Airbnb platform,” adding that the collaboration with United Spinal will create a “first-of-its-kind academy tailored for people who need mobility assistance.” Classes will be delivered online, and Airbnb said the curriculum will include guidance on getting started as a host on the platform and how to highlight accessibility features of your home in your listing. The Academy has been around since 2017, and Airbnb said it has helped more than 4,500 people in 12 countries learn how to become a host.
In addition to being another sign of its commitment to serving and expanding support for the disability community, Airbnb said another major motivation for partnering with United Spinal is to increase economic mobility for people with disabilities. According to Airbnb, hosts made more than $24 billion in the U.S. alone last year, allowing hosts to use that extra income to pay bills and cover housing costs. As for United Spinal, Airbnb noted that United Spinal sits on the company’s Disability Advisory Council along with disability rights organizations across the country, and the Academy news is just the latest effort in a “longstanding collaboration.”
In a recent email interview, Suzanne Edwards, head of accessible hosting standards at Airbnb and a familiar face in this column, described the company’s partnership with United Spinal as a “natural fit,” saying she and her team are excited to “introduce United Spinal members to the opportunity to host on Airbnb and share the resources and tools they need to become successful hosts on Airbnb.” Edwards highlighted that searches using accessibility filters have increased by more than 40% over the past year, indicating “strong guest demand and a great opportunity for people with homes that have accessible features.” The Academy has been a great help in increasing the supply of accessible housing, which in turn “supports our shared goal of making travel more accessible.”
In this regard, Edwards shared an anecdote about her own home on the beach in England. She said she has been hosting on Airbnb for “the last few years,” opening up her home to guests during the summer when she is away on vacation or other trips. Although there are not many accommodations for people with disabilities near her, Edwards’ home is accessible to her with “full step-free access” as she is a wheelchair user herself. Edwards said she has hosted many people with accessibility needs and “really enjoys helping them enjoy the area where I live,” and recommends activities such as accessible restaurants and nearby surf schools for people with disabilities to her guests. Edwards has used her hosting income to pay for home improvement projects, including remodeling her bathroom to include a “spacious roll-in shower” with a shower chair and grab bars. She calls it her “favorite room in the house,” and now her guests have the privilege to enjoy it too.
Edwards’ experience reflects what the academy was founded for.
“Through the Airbnb Entrepreneur Academy, we want to help people from diverse and historically underrepresented communities learn how to reap the economic benefits of tourism and hosting in their hometowns,” she said.
For United Spinal, the opportunity to partner with Airbnb on the academy and other efforts is symbiotic: the two organizations are working together for the same cause. Josie Bizak, senior director of communications and digital experience at United Spinal, said in an interview around the same time as Edwards that the organization “works closely with like-minded businesses and organizations to help connect them directly with people with disabilities who are customers or clients or who want to become customers or clients,” adding that the relationship with Airbnb was a “natural fit” because Edwards and the rest of the Airbnb team “actively engage our community as customers.”
“Co-hosted [Academy] “It makes sense to target wheelchair users and people with mobility issues,” Bizek said.
Bizak, who lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and struggles with multiple sclerosis and other disabilities, told me that United Spinal is a “national pioneer for disability equality and inclusion” and that the organization envisions a world where “people with spinal cord injuries and all wheelchair users can live fulfilling lives and reach their full potential.” He said that people in the disability community should have the opportunity to own businesses and travel wherever they want without fear of exclusion or accessibility. Additionally, Bizak said the academy offers United Spinal members two key benefits: it teaches them the skills they need to be effective hosts and how to “identify, enhance or add accessibility features to their facilities.”
When asked about the Academy’s feedback, Edwards and Bizek both reported similar responses. Edwards said Airbnb has gotten an “enthusiastic response” so far and is looking forward to July, when the first sessions with United Spinal begin. Bizek added that the United Spinal community is “hungry” for accessible travel opportunities, and people are hopeful that this latest collaboration will be fruitful in terms of creating more inclusive and accessible lodging options.
Looking to the future, Edwards said Airbnb expects to continue “expanding” the Academy to support even more members of the disability community, reiterating the company’s oft-repeated policy of its “ongoing commitment to accessibility.” Edwards also said he “hopes” to see more people with disabilities get into hosting, again citing the socio-economic benefits and the need for accessible accommodations.
“Traveling can be extremely difficult when you have a disability,” Edwards said, “and I personally love finding opportunities to come together as a community to make travel just a little easier.”
For Bizek, the dream is clear: Travel facilities must be built with equity in mind. People with disabilities have the right to travel with “the same excitement and ease as non-disabled travelers,” she says.
“we [at United Spinal] “We’re strategically partnering with companies like Airbnb that can help make these hopes and dreams come true,” Bizek said. “Thanks to this Academy, we’re getting closer to the day when every traveler can book the accommodation that’s right for them.”