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About AXS Lab

AXS Lab is a nonprofit organization committed to fostering a more inclusive and accessible world. By building a coalition of individuals and organizations, we amplify the movement for accessibility. Through innovative use of new media, films, and the art of storytelling, we bring the full accessibility experience to life, making it a shared, transformative reality for everyone.


 
HISTORY

AXS Lab was founded in 1996 when filmmaker Jason DaSilva began his career with a clear mission: to elevate underrepresented voices through film. Motivated by the absence of authentic narratives around disability and inclusion, DaSilva set out to tell stories that reflected the lived experiences of people too often pushed to the margins.

Over the years, AXS Lab has grown into a leading social enterprise using media and technology to advance accessibility and inclusion. Its first major project, When I Walk, chronicled DaSilva’s journey after being diagnosed with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. The film received critical acclaim, winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Programming – Long Form, and was screened at major festivals worldwide.

AXS Lab’s commitment to systemic change took shape in 2010 with the launch of AXS Map, a crowd-powered platform where users rate and review the accessibility of public spaces. The initiative’s community-driven events—known as Mapathons—have since been held in over 280 locations globally, making AXS Map the largest database of accessibility data in North America. Since 2013, the platform has contributed data to the United Nations’ flagship report on Disability and Development.

In 2020, AXS Lab expanded its mission with the launch of the AXS Film Fund, providing financial support to filmmakers of color with disabilities to ensure that more authentic, intersectional stories are brought to the screen.

Today, AXS Lab continues to push the boundaries of media and technology to serve people living with disabilities. As contributors to The New York Times and other major media outlets, and as producers of award-winning films, we remain committed to dismantling systems of exclusion and advancing a world where inclusion and accessibility are the norm—not the exception.

Our Team

20k+
People involved
10
Projects
10 +
Partners

our work

AXS LAB HAS A RANGE OF PROJECTS ON ENVIRONMENT, IDENTITY, AND DIVERSITY RANGING THE PAST 15 YEARS.

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recognition

  • NYT Critics' Pick "DaSilva's experience behind a camera shows in his brisk pacing, clear narrative structure, and the awareness that a story of sickness needs lighthearted distractions... Fueled by [...] uncompromising intelligence and unrelenting candor."

    Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times about When I Walk

  • Village Voice Critics' Pick "Absorbing and moving!"

    Ernest Hardy, Village Voice about When I Walk

  • For people living with physical disabilities, the project [AXS Map] is sort of like a more robust Yelp.

    Vignesh Ramachandran, Mashable about AXS Map

  • When We Walk tells a deeply moving personal story with unflinching clarity and self-deprecating humour while it exposes how the US Medicaid system abandons vulnerable people.

    Maurie Alioff, POV Magazine about When We Walk

  • You name it – it’s on AXS Map ready to be reviewed[...]AXS Map’s focus is on what is important for most customers with disabilities: Being able to get into an establishment to enjoy its goods, services, and restroom facilities.

    Minh N. Vu, Seyfarth Shaw LLP about AXS MAP

  • Jason DaSilva... creatively uses media and technology to help bring awareness and advocacy to disabled individuals on a global level.

    Withum’s Innovative Strength Award Announcement

  • AXS Labs... was honored for its work with AXS Map, an online mapping system. The ever-growing database seeks to improve community accessibility for people with disabilities by allowing users to access, provide, and rate accessibility information for businesses and locations throughout the world.

    New Mobility Magazine

Resources

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