Mike Walsh

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!