AXSmap

About the Project

AXSmap is inspired by Jason DaSilva's love for roaming the streets of New York City. Four short years ago, he was exploring the city on foot. Fast-forward to today, he is using a motorized scooter, and NYC is not the city he knew and loved; barriers abound, options are limited. He sees a critical need to make accessibility transparent. AXSmap is a suite of tools that aims to engage communities to share resources, map accessibility, and build landscapes to accommodate people with disabilities.

AXSmap is a website paired with a smart phone application (iPhone and Android) that allows users to locate businesses, transportation, and/or pathways that are accessible to people with limited mobility using an assistive device such as a wheelchair, walker, or a cane. Powered by Google Maps and GPS technology, the user has the ability to retrieve and enter data to document the accessibility of a building or place. AXSmap's first target community will be the East Village where they have already established 200+ entries to seed the database. The target users are people with disabilities, elderly people, and potentially families with strollers. They will also launch a campaign to build a vibrant online AXSmap community. The tentpole for the campaign will be a feature length film, supported by a video blog series and online game. They will create corporate and government partnerships to promote and expand AXSmap. They will pursue potential revenue associated with AXSmap including advertising, etc.

In the long-term, their vision is to make 100% of businesses and public transportation or pathways accessible. In a seven-year time frame they hope to document all accessible aspects of the built environment in North America. In a three-year time frame, they hope to achieve wide brand recognition and usage of AXS in targeted communities. They see this network expanding rapidly; as Obama pointed out on the twenty-year anniversary signing of ADA, "If one in six Americans has a disability, then odds are the rest of us love somebody with a disability."

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is excited to support this innovative human rights project. The potential AXSmap has to change the landscape for so many Americans is exciting and long overdue. We look forward to watching the progress of this team as they take this project to the world.