"It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive."
- Mike speaking at Bank of America with his Seeing Eye dog at his feet
- Mike May waterskiing
- Mike May with Stevie Wonder and Accessibility Group at CES 2009
- Mike May skiing
Highlight on Mike May
"To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself."
- Søren Kierkegaard
Mike May was totally blinded at age three from an explosion of calcium carbide. He grew up believing he was lucky to be blind and still alive. Mike has been an innovator of many technologies including navigation systems that improve the independence of people who are blind. Mike's personal life and professional career have been characterized by pioneering efforts in business and community service
To further the efforts of his causes and ventures, Mike May has generated media seen by millions of viewers. He has met numerous celebrities including meeting four U.S. Presidents. Mike was acknowledged at the White House by Ronald Reagan after skiing the first-ever run by a blind person in the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo in 1984 when the President said, "Mike, you and the other competitors here are testimony to all young people that they should never be afraid to dream big dreams and they should never hesitate to try to make those dreams a reality."
It is said that adversity builds character. Mike takes that statement a step further by allowing his character to conquer adversity. He has many qualities that exemplify Mike as an innovator and leader.
- Mike is a 'can-do' person: He has raised millions of dollars to develop four companies and he has changed the landscape of how blind people get around independently. A blind GPS customer in Australia said if there was a Nobel Prize for independence, Mike's name should be on it.
- In one year alone over 40 million people saw or heard about Mike's ventures through media like ABC Wide World of Sports, NBC Dateline, CBS Sunday Morning, HBO Sports, Discover and Esquire Magazines. Over 70 million people have seen the documentary about Mike on BBC TV.
- His love for travel is buoyed by his genuine love for people and the opportunities that travel affords him to continue to meet new people and to learn about how they live.
- Mike also has a profound sense of adventure. Mike underwent a rare stem cell eye transplant despite a 50% chance of success or failure. He became one of a handful of documented cases of vision restoration in the past 200 years.
Mike May with U.S. Presidents Reagan and Clinton
