Board members

Mike Walsh

Founder and Executive Director · Chairman of the Board

Mike Walsh was diagnosed with Usher syndrome type 2C around his 20th birthday. However, his symptoms did not start to affect his life for another ten years. Upon his 35th birthday he chose not to renew his driver’s license and a new life began. A few years later in 2014, with the help of friends, social media talent, and a sense of adventure, “Flight for Sight” was born. He traveled the world and raised awareness about vision issues. In 2021, Flight for Sight became an organization and was approved as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2022. Today, the organization known as the Blind Travel Foundation awards $10,000 travel grants to individuals who are blind and visually impaired the opportunity to imagine, design, and lead travel projects that benefit the blind and visually impaired community.

Mike worked for New York City public schools from 2016 – 2022. He worked a ranged of grades from K-12, which included students with autism and emotional disturbance. Mike has also lived extensively in Colorado and Wisconsin. In Colorado, he was a professional mascot for approximately 10 years for various teams, including in the MLS and NFL. In Wisconsin, he was a board member and helped Social Media Breakfast Madison form into an official nonproft. He was also the first person hired to focus on social media at the Wisconsin Athletics department. In 2022, he played for Team USA – Blind Baseball and won a bronze medal at the WBSC International Blind Baseball Cup. Today, Mike and his wife Angie live in New York City, where they lead and grow the Blind Travel Foundation.

To learn more about Blind Travel Foundation email Mike at Mike@BlindTravel.org. You can also find Mike on LinkedIn!

Mike May

Board Member

Mr. May is a pillar of the blind community, a travel expert, a Paralympic medalist in skiing, and is in the Consumer Technology Association’s Hall of Fame. After losing his vision to an accident at the age of three, Mr. May received a successful corneal transplant, partial vision was restored in one eye when he was in his mid-forties. This experience is chronicled in a best-selling book titled “Crashing Through” by Robert Kurson. Today, Mike consults for the American Printing House as well as for several start-up companies.

As a board member, Mr. May is leading the programming for the Blind Travel Summit (which he founded), bringing together travel industry experts and advocates to discuss issues and solutions in blind travel. He has a podcast series called “The People Make the Places” discussing technology tips and tricks for blind and visually impaired travelers that includes interviews with the Blind Travel Foundation’s grant winners and blind influencers.

John Walsh

Board Member

John Walsh is a partner at the Axley Attorneys law firm in Madison, Wisconsin. His law practice is focused on business transactions, estate planning, and real estate matters. John was diagnosed with Usher syndrome, a form of deaf/blindness at the age of 15. John graduated from the University of Notre Dame and University of Wisconsin Law School. He won Madison’s Funniest Comic, you can see his routine here. He also appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2021. He spends his time away from work training for marathons and chasing his 2-year old daughter around the house.

Megan Kennedy

Board Member

Megan currently works for General Motors as a Physical & Digital Inclusion Manager. She previously worked for Amazon as a Senior Program Manager in the Accessibility department. She founded and built a nonprofit organization for Usher Syndrome that was later absorbed into the Usher Syndrome Coalition where she served as a board member for 5 years. In 2019 Megan was selected as Women in Cable & Telecommunications’ (WICT) first Laurel Lawson Fellow, awarded to rising female-leaders with a disability. She lives in Saint Louis with her retired guide dog, Sunshine, and enjoys reading, coffee, hiking, and binge-watching Fleabag at least once a month.

Rosalie Chandler

Development and Strategy Director · Secretary of the Board

Rosalie Chandler has more than 15 years of experience in non-profit fundraising and grant writing and holds a BFA in film/digital video from The University of the Arts. She previously worked for the foundation of Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia and is currently a member of the development team at United Hospital Fund in New York City. She is a past board member of the Greater Astoria Historical Society and volunteered for the New York Stereoscopic Association. Rosalie is also an aspiring writer, currently working on a memoir about her decision to give up drugs and alcohol.