Emmy Award Winning Filmmaker Jason DaSilva Launches Kickstarter Campaign for Mapathon Project

New York City, NY, November 12, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Emmy Award winning filmmaker Jason DaSilva and the non-profit organization AXS Lab announced today that they are raising funds for the development of AXS Map Mathathons internationally through a new Kickstarter campaign.  The goal is to raise $60,000 in order to fund the outreach needed to take AXS Map and Mapathons to the people around the globe that need it the most – those with accessibility needs.  

Jason DaSilva has been a prolific, award winning filmmaker for more than a decade. Diagnosed with primary-progressive multiple sclerosis at the age of 25, DaSilva turned the camera on himself and documented seven years of his life coping with the disease as he progressed from cane to walker to wheelchair. The result became the Emmy Award winning film “When I Walk,” which was the season 27 premiere of POV on PBS, and is now available on Netflix.  

"A mapathon is a way for many people to come together on teams to rate businesses in a geographical area," says DaSilva. "We have already had Mapathons throughout the United States. We are seeking funds through the Kickstarter for the outreach necessary to have more Mapathons here in the United States and also internationally so that people with disabilities all over the world can have a better life."

Jason DaSilva, Emmy Award winning filmmaker and founder of AXS Lab

Frustrated by the lack of wheelchair accessible businesses in New York City, DaSilva started the non-profit organization AXS Lab and developed AXS Map, a yelp-like crowdsourcing platform powered by Google Maps that allows people to rate and share information about a business’s accessibility.  Taking it a step further, DaSilva has now come up with the idea of international Mapathons.  “A mapathon is a way for many people to come together on teams to rate businesses in a geographical area,” says DaSilva.  “We have already had Mapathons throughout the United States.  We are seeking funds through the Kickstarter for the outreach necessary to have more Mapathons here in the United States and also internationally so that people with disabilities all over the world can have a better life.”   

For more information and to see the AXS Map Mapathon Kickstarter campaign, go to:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/587735327/the-axs-map-mapathon-project. 

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About AXS Map

AXS Map (access map) is a crowd-sourced tool for sharing reviews on the wheelchair accessibility of businesses and places. For some it’s surprising to learn that as many as nine out of ten businesses on a city block may be inaccessible. For the millions of people with mobility impairments, AXS Map provides new freedom to be spontaneous about choices- where to eat, shop, work or play. AXS Map is available online or via mobile web, as well as Android and iPhone applications.

About AXS Lab

AXS Lab is a 501C3 non-profit organization that is building a network of organizations and people to supercharge the movement for inclusion of people with disabilities. AXS Lab explores the disability experience using technology, new media, films, and the power of story. By exploring alternate realities of perception and experience, AXS Lab believes the world becomes a more compassionate, inclusive and enriching place.  AXS Lab has created the disability mapping tool AXS Map and has produced the Emmy Award Winning documentary When I Walk. To see the official trailer of When I Walk, go to https://youtu.be/iX-snqNJlxU

About Jason DaSilva

Jason DaSilva is an Emmy award winning filmmaker, spokesperson for the disability community and founder of the non-profit AXS Lab. He has completed four short films and two feature films and has won numerous filmmaking awards. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005 and began a seven year journey of making When I Walk. Jason has an MFA in Media from Emily Carr University. Jason continues to give voice to those on the periphery of society through his work.

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