We Are Canada·Video

This 25-year-old is creating a global roadmap for accessibility

When things get tough working on the app Access Now, Maayan Ziv reminds herself that one person can make a difference for millions of people.

Maayan Ziv on what keeps her inspired while working on Access Now

This 25-year-old is creating a global roadmap for accessibility

8 years ago
Duration 12:57
There's an app for everything — almost. Not to help find out if a venue is accessible or not, so Maayan Ziv designed one.

There's an app for everything — almost. 

Maayan Ziv noticed that while it's easy to use your phone to figure out when a restaurant is open or what's on the menu, it was almost impossible to look up whether those places were wheelchair accessible. 

This lack of information inspired the young photographer to create an app to address this need herself. She now works full-time on Access Now, which rates the accessibility of restaurants and shops around the globe.

It makes me realize how important this is and how one person... can really make a difference for millions of people.- Maayan Ziv

The work can be challenging, but when Ziv feels discouraged, she thinks of all the people who have expressed their gratitude for the app, and the stories of how it's helped them. "That's what keeps me going," she says.

Ziv is one of a new generation of passionate change-makers profiled in CBC's new series We Are Canada. Watch the series Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC and online.