WASHINGTON – November 10, 2026 -- Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) has released the first volume of its free Best Practices in Hotel Accessibility Guide, giving hotels a checklist of barriers that make travel unsafe or impossible for guests with mobility disabilities.
The first installment, "Welcoming Mobility Device Users," draws on the experiences of guests who use wheelchairs, scooters, canes and other devices. It covers the full guest journey, from researching and reserving a room to hotel transportation, bathrooms and meeting spaces. The second volume, "Planning and Hosting Wheelchair-Accessible Events," launches Dec. 4. It addresses access routes, food and beverage service, wheelchair seating, accessible staging and overnight stays.
PVA cites reservation failures and missing roll-in showers as common barriers
PVA Chief Policy Officer Heather Ansley said members have driven hundreds of miles only to find their reserved room had been given away. Others slept in their chairs because the bed was too high, or went days without bathing because no roll-in shower was available. She described these cases as common, not isolated.
PVA Director of Architecture Mark Lichter said a room can meet minimum accessibility standards and still be unusable for guests who must transfer from a wheelchair to a bed or maneuver a powerchair around furniture.
PVA takes the guide to TravelAbility on Nov. 9 and Accessible Events Show on Dec. 4
Senior Advocacy Attorney Danica Gonzalves leads "Accessible Hotels, Better Business: Turning Accessibility into Opportunity" at the TravelAbility Conference in Tampa, Florida, on Nov. 9. The session covers how hotels can go beyond ADA requirements.
At the Accessible Events Show in Alexandria, Virginia, on Dec. 4, Lichter, Gonzalves and PVA Director of Meetings Hannah Buchholz present two sessions on finding and fixing accessibility issues and on conducting site visits for accessible events.
Buchholz framed accessibility as commercial strategy, noting that one in four U.S. adults has a disability and calling it "a smart business decision." PVA has advised the hospitality and lodging industries on accessible design, accommodations and event planning since the 1980s.