Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

This paper shares findings from the first national study of discrimination in the rental housing market against people who use a wheelchair.  Sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and conducted by the Urban Institute, the study utilized the paired-testing methodology to measure the incidence and forms of discrimination nationwide. This paper highlights findings on the realities of the housing search process for people with ambulatory disabilities. It also presents an estimate of the percent of the rental housing advertised in the study’s thirty metropolitan areas that appears to be accessible for persons in wheelchairs.  Specific findings include housing providers’ willingness to make an appointment with homeseekers who use wheelchairs, to discuss details of available units that are accessible and to show accessible units.  Findings also include results from homeseekers’ requests to make modifications that would increase the available housing’s accessibility. The indicators of differential treatment found by the study shed light on the challenges faced by renters who use wheelchairs during the homeseeking process.  The forms the discrimination takes can increase the costs and duration of the housing search and restrict the range of housing choices available to homeseekers with disabilities.