No Barriers

Loss and Light with Mike May

Episode Summary

Mike May is a business executive, record-setting skier, and innovator who happens to be blind. Mike has taken the adversity in his life and converted it into the driving force behind his innovations in inclusive technology. This episode is sponsored by Arrow Electronics.

Episode Notes

Michael May was blinded by a chemical explosion at the age of three, but regained partial vision, at the age of 46, after cornea transplants and a pioneering stem cell procedure. 

He has raised millions of dollars to develop four companies and has changed the landscape of how blind people get around independently. Mike’s start-up ventures have included developing the world’s first and only Laser Turntable, inventing a portable heating cushion for sports and medical applications, and starting 2 companies in adaptive technology including Sendero Group in 1999, which released the first-ever accessible GPS for the blind. 

Currently, he is Chief Evangelist for Good Maps, Inc., a pedestrian navigation company with an emphasis on accessible navigation for people who are blind or visually impaired. Mike also holds the record for downhill skiing by a person who is completely blind -racing at 65 mph-and is the subject of the best-selling book Crashing Through by, Robert Kurson.

Huge thanks to Arrow Electronics for sponsoring this episode - the first in a series highlighting folks who are pioneering and innovating in the field of inclusive technology.

Resources:

For more information about Mike May, go to http://www.GoodMaps.com or http://www.CrashingThrough.com