Mike May

Mike May is an American athlete, entrepreneur, and accessibility advocate known for his contributions to adaptive sports and assistive technology. Blinded by a chemical explosion at age 3, May became a competitive skier and business executive, later regaining partial vision through cornea transplants and a stem cell procedure. May has emphasized a lifelong philosophy that "there is always a way."

May began his athletic career in a blind skiing program in Kirkwood, California, and went on to win three gold medals at the World Games in Switzerland. He holds the world record for downhill skiing by a person who is completely blind, reaching speeds of 65 mph, and competed in the alpine skiing event at the Winter Paralympics, earning three bronze medals in the downhill, giant slalom, and combination events. May's achievements in adaptive sports have been featured in a Warren Miller ski movie and on ABC's "Wide World of Sports." He has received a commendation from President Ronald Reagan and was appointed to the White House Paralympics delegation by President Barack Obama.

In addition to his athletic accomplishments, May has built a career in technology innovation and entrepreneurship. He has worked as an analyst for the CIA, raised nearly $7 million for a technology startup that produced the world's first laser turntable, and developed adaptive devices for people who are blind. As president and CEO of Lighthouse for the Blind Inc. in Seattle, May led an organization with annual revenues exceeding $80 million. He also founded Sendero Group, which employs individuals who are blind or visually impaired and developed the first accessible GPS solution for blind users. Sendero Group's GPS technology was recognized as an "Innovation Honoree" at the Consumer Electronics Show. May has consulted with companies such as Uber on app accessibility and serves as a navigation technology advisor at APH. He has been inducted into the Consumer Technology Hall of Fame alongside leaders from Apple and Samsung.

May's experiences with vision restoration were the subject of a BBC documentary, "The Man Who Learnt To See," which won the Royal Television Society's award for best single programme. His story is also chronicled in Robert Kurson's book, "Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure and the Man Who Dared to See." May's honors include the Kay Gallagher Mentoring Award from the American Foundation for the Blind, the Da Vinci Award for Accessibility and Universal Design, the American Foundation for the Blind Access Award, the Louis Braille Individual Award, and an honorary doctorate in humane letters.

May has been featured in international media, including NBC Dateline, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Washington Post, and People Magazine. As a public speaker, May addresses topics such as adaptive living, accessibility, and overcoming challenges, drawing from his experiences in competitive skiing, technology innovation, and global travel. His presentations focus on how ingenuity, humor, and determination can help individuals and organizations navigate obstacles in the fields of accessibility, adaptive sports, and assistive technology.