Through filmmaking, new media, and accessible technology, AXS Lab expands the definition of accessibility—developing tools that raise awareness, drive advocacy, and advance true inclusion on a global scale.
For over 25 years, AXS Lab has produced award-winning films and built innovative tools to ignite and expand the global conversation on accessibility and inclusion.
A world that’s inclusive and accessible for all. Help us make it happen.
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.
Jason DaSilva is an award-winning filmmaker, technologist, and advocate whose work centers on equity, disability justice, and innovation. He founded AXS Lab in 1996 as an extension of his creative vision—to tell untold stories and create tools that empower communities historically left out of mainstream narratives. His diagnosis with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis further galvanized his commitment to accessibility and inclusion. His breakout documentary When I Walk premiered at Sundance and earned him an Emmy Award, setting the tone for a body of work that combines personal storytelling with systemic critique. Through AXS Lab, Jason has spearheaded initiatives like AXS Map, a crowdsourced accessibility platform used across North America, and the AXS Film Fund, which uplifts disabled BIPOC filmmakers. Jason’s writing and commentary appear in The New York Times and other major media outlets, and he continues to push boundaries at the intersection of art, technology, and activism. His work remains rooted in the belief that inclusion is not a privilege—it’s a right.
Leigh DaSilva began his independent filmmaking career producing alongside award-winning filmmaker Jason DaSilva on First Steps, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival (2009) and also screened at the Vancouver Film Festival (2009). He then went on to produce the feature-length documentary When I Walk, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival (2013), broadcast on PBS/POV (2014), won Best Canadian Feature Documentary award at Hot Docs (2013), Grand Jury Award for Best Film at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (2013), and Most Popular Canadian Documentary at the Vancouver International Film Festival (2013). It won a News & Documentary Emmy in 2015. Leigh also produced the mobile application AXS Map, which is a crowd-sourced platform for mapping wheelchair accessible locations. It has received funding from numerous donors, including Google through the Tides Foundation, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the Canada Media Fund. He is the President of the award-winning production company In Face Films. He holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of South Dakota.
Jonathan Kreuter was born and raised in New York City, and he has dual citizenship between the United States and Mexico. He has graduated from two different universities, has lived in 5 countries in North America, Europe and in Asia, speaks three languages, and he has been a Director of Sales & Marketing for hotel companies for 17 years. In his new part of his life, he has become a photographer, a painter, and a poet, therefore he’s now an artist. In January 2019 he opened up his own company, Kreuter Art & Design, having clients in different countries, and has had many exhibitions as well. And to share his story with the public, he has done many presentations in universities, has been written in articles and newspapers, and has had interviews in television shows including CBS News and Univision Noticias, which is the number one television show in Latin America. He now lives in both the United States and Mexico, and has begun working with Jason DaSilva and the AXS Lab since 2019.
Tucker Salovaara specializes in web design, video editing, and social media management. He is an advocate for the disabled community and strives to increase inclusion for everyone. Tucker currently works for Theater Breaking Through Barriers (TBTB) as a Business Administrative Apprentice, where he focuses on social media promotion, website management, fundraising, and ensuring that all content is accessible to everyone. He is a member of the MTA’s Access-A-Ride Committee among many other advocacy organizations. Tucker has a Bachelor’s degree in Emerging Media Technologies with a concentration in Media Design. He is excited to pair up with AXS Lab to help individuals like himself, have an accessible world to live in.
Dan DaSilva is currently working in the fast-paced world of Digital Marketing and is dedicated to help make an impact on accessibility through the lens of technology and the internet. Dan is originally from Vancouver, Canada and followed his dream of making it in New York. Having come from a non-profit background of 8 years which included a consultancy at the UN, he acquires a unique blend of multi-faceted experience in both human rights and the digital world. When he isn’t glued to his computer screen, you can find Dan traveling the world, partaking in outdoor activities, and constantly seeking out new restaurants and bars in NYC.
Phil is a native New Yorker and former high school teacher who taught computer technology. His diverse background includes reporting the news at WBAI where he also produced a monthly radio program called “The Largest Minority” that focused on issues concerning people with disabilities. Phil and his wife Juliette pioneered the effort to establish taxi service for mobility impaired New Yorkers by starting the first wheelchair accessible car service in 1995.
Siddhartha Joag is a visual artist, journalist and producer who has worked closely with social justice and human rights movements in the U.S. and internationally for twenty years. From 2011 to 2015, Sidd served as Director of freeDimensional, an international network that supported over 250 artists and activists facing persecution and forcible displacement. Sidd received his academic training at the London School of Economics and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. He is currently the Managing Editor at ArtsEverywhere, an international digital, print and exhibition platform for artistic and journalistic exploration on the fault lines of modern society, a project of the Musagetes Foundation. His paintings, installations, murals and community projects have been seen in the U.S., Canada, India, China, the Philippines, Honduras, Nicaragua, Brazil, and Northern Ireland. Sidd lives and works in New York City.
Naomi has worked with AXS Lab for several years as a creative and development assistant. She’s worked closely with Jason in developing and securing funding for the AXS Film Fund, as well as nurturing its growth and sustainability. She holds a bachelors from Bennington college in film, visual arts, and public action and an MA in Filmmaking from the University of Sussex. Through her studies she came to the understanding that her work in social justice is to help give people voice, thus empowering them and others to take action. Her short documentary HELO (Home, Education, Love, Opportunity), was an official selection and screened at the Bennington Alumni Film & Creativity Festival in 2019.
Mimoza is an analytical and detail oriented banking professional with 10 years of experience. Exceptionally organized and focused demonstrating an outstanding aptitude to manage and balance a variety of day to day transition, providing overachieving assistance services team management products cross sales.
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