Why We're Building the Accessibility Rating System (ARS)

The Missing Standard in Accessible Travel

When you book a hotel, you can check its star rating. When you buy a home, you can check its energy efficiency score. When you eat at a restaurant, you can check its health inspection grade.

When you need a wheelchair-accessible vacation rental? You get a checkbox. That's it.

The Problem Is Systemic

There is no widely adopted, standardized rating system for vacation rental accessibility. The ADA sets building code minimums for commercial properties, but private vacation rentals are largely exempt. Platform filters (VRBO, Airbnb) are self-reported by property owners with no verification.

The result: millions of wheelchair users who can't trust any listing they see online.

What We're Building

The **Accessible Rating System (ARS)** is our answer. It's a standardized scoring methodology that evaluates vacation rental accessibility across 50+ specific data points in six categories:

Entry & Navigation — Zero-step entry, ramp grade, door widths, hallway widths, threshold heights, flooring type, elevator availability.

Bathroom — Shower type (roll-in vs. step-in), grab bars, bench, toilet height, under-sink clearance, turning radius.

Bedroom — Bed height, transfer space, closet reach, light switch and outlet heights.

Kitchen — Counter height, under-counter clearance, appliance reach, table clearance.

Outdoor — Pool access type, deck accessibility, parking proximity, outdoor surface types.

Location — Distance to accessible beach access, accessible restaurants, terrain grade, sidewalk condition.

Each property receives an overall ARS score (1-100) plus category scores, so travelers can filter by their specific needs. Someone who needs a roll-in shower can find exactly that. Someone who prioritizes pool access can filter for ramp or zero-entry pools.

Verified, Not Self-Reported

The critical difference: ARS scores are verified by wheelchair users, not self-reported by property owners. We physically visit properties. We measure doorways. We test showers. We roll through every room.

Properties that haven't been verified are clearly marked as unverified. We never guess, and we never take a property owner's word for it.

The Vision

ARS starts here on 30A. But the system is designed to scale. We envision ARS becoming the universal standard for vacation rental accessibility — the way LEED certification works for green buildings or AAA Diamond ratings work for hotels.

Imagine being able to search any booking platform and filter by verified ARS score. That's where we're headed.

The beach is for everyone. But first, everyone needs data they can trust.