b'Life with MSMMaakkiinnggtthheeWWoorrllddMMoorreeAAcccceessssiibbllee,,Unique features makeF AXS Maps stand outFiivveeSSttaarrssaattaaTTiimmeeWhenlookingforeverythingfroma means that the entrance is wide and easilyrestauranttoamechanic,aquickvisitto accessibletopeoplenomatteriftheyarewebsites such as Google or Yelp will give you walking, using a cane, or in a wheelchair. Themore information than you may have ever same rules apply for restroom ratings. Fivewanted to know. You can get the business stars means that stall doors open out andlocations and directions, hours, the busiest there are multiple support railings, while onetimes to visit, and often dozens of reviews that star means the opposite.range in helpfulness. But, for the MS community, Another unique feature that makes AXSsome important information that these options Maps stand out from other rating sites are itsdont always oer is how accessible are these Mapathons. Jason explained, These eventsplaces? pull together a community to rate a bunch ofMore than 10 years ago, Jason DaSilva placesinanarea.DuringaMapathon,adecided to help nd the answer to that question. group of people can visit dozens or hundredsAn Emmy Award-winning documentary lm- of places and rate them. They can specicallymaker and MS advocate who has lived with beforatypeofbusiness,suchasPizzaprimary progressive MS since 2003, Jason Places in NYC, or they can be for a specicwas tired of going places only to nd out they neighborhood or area. From the AXS Mapwerent accessible. So he created AXS Maps, website, you can nd existing Mapathons ora website where businesses are rated based create your own.on the accessibility of their entrances and Next time youre out and about, no mattertheir restrooms. The site pulls locations and where in the world, take a few minutes to visitdata directly from Google Maps and doesnt www.axsmap.com and rate the places aroundmerely include the United States. Jason said, you. A few stars here and there might go aAny place on Google Maps is also on AXS long way to helping someone else out. JasonMapsWe have over 150,000 places ratedaround the world. said, Our goal is that we strive for a worldRatings are done with a ve-star system, that is fully accessible and were getting closerbut, unlike other sites that base ratings on and closer with AXS Map.subjectiveexperiences,AXSMapsrating Be sure to tune in to MS Focus Radio forsystem has specic requirements for each our full interview with Jason DaSilva everystar. For example, a one-star rating for a Tuesday in May at 12, 3, and 8 p.m. Easternbusiness entrance signies that the entrance time, where he talks about AXS Map and hisis narrow, has multiple steps to climb, and has upcoming documentary lm When We Walk.no ramp available. While a ve-star rating www.msfocusradio.orgmsfocusmagazine.org 50'