People living without disabilities can take for granted how much the built environment is suited for them. It's easy to walk into a space without noticing the couple of steps you took to reach the door or to forget that the tight spaces in your favorite cozy cafe might make it difficult for a blind person to navigate.
Jason Da Silva cannot take such things for granted. A filmmaker whose work has aired on HBO and PBS, Da Silva was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when he was 25. He now uses a power scooter to get around.
The loss of his mobility made Da Silva acutely aware of the difference between accessible and inaccessible spaces. Routines like taking the subway became impossible and favorite spots to meet with friends became unreachable. Da Silva made a documentary, When I Walk (available on Netflix), about his battle with MS and his gradual loss of mobility.
Wanting to do more than document the challenges he faced, Da Silva set out to take concrete action that would make it easier to get around with a disability. Together he and his wife, Alice Cook, created AXSmap, a crowdsourced map to rate businesses based on how accessible they are.
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