I admired Selena Gomez ever since I can remember, and she was the one who demonstrated me the struggles that people with disabilities ordinarily face. It was June 2016. The film “The Fundamentals of Caring” had just been released with Selena Gomez in casting. Almost immediately I rushed to watch the film, and I still remember being touched by the road trip scenes.

 

Trevor, a young man with muscular dystrophy, was experiencing simple things for the first time — like getting food at a diner, standing near a big roadside attraction, or even just imagining seeing the ocean. Things that seem easy for most people were actually really hard for him. Every small accomplishment made me realize that everyday moments aren’t something everyone can just take for granted. It was a turning point for me.

 

I associate city with a chessboard — every move seems simple and predictable, but for people with disabilities, that same board turns into a labyrinth: half the squares are blocked, and some paths lead to dead ends. After that, I started brainstorming on how I could help them — at least a bit. And that’s how I came to the idea of coding an accessibility map cataloging locations by their accessibility.

 

It works, it helps, and people use it — yet I know it can grow stronger. The map is not in the final version. I will keep updating it with new places, new categories, and new tools. What began in Baku is not meant to stay in one city. My goal is to expand this project until accessibility is mapped across countries, across continents, across the entire world.