Warm Greetings!

My name is Michael Robertson; I am a forty-six year old man who is legally blind and co-founder of Shared Vision Quest. Shared Vision Quest is a grass-roots organization in Maine with a mission dedicated to connecting people with visual impairments, who have the mental drive to fulfill their dreams, with those who can assist in that personal quest. I am passionate about changing the dominant societal paradigm that says, “blind people can’t do those things.” Shared Vision Quest believes everybody should have the opportunity to dream big and live bigger.

Although it may be hard to imagine, I am now an avid cyclist. I gave up cycling in my youth due to my progressively worsening vision. Less than three years ago, I began to overcome my fears and the associated challenges with cycling and returned to the freedom and exhilaration that it provides me. I have had a lifelong dream of riding my bike across the entire United States. A trip like this has many obstacles to overcome, in addition to the limitations that come with being visually impaired.

This epic quest has been scheduled for the summer of 2017. Co-founder of Shared Vision Quest, Hans Breaux and I will ride from the Pacific Ocean in Washington to the Atlantic Ocean in Bar Harbor, Maine. In addition to fulfilling a lifelong dream, this trip will serve as a platform to schedule speaking engagements in order to share my personal stories and bring awareness to living with visual impairments. Stories I may share could include challenges associated with: social interactions, feeling different, schooling, employment, inability to drive and dating. Hans and I hope to motivate and educate visually impaired children and adults alike that they too can overcome their own unique obstacles to achieve their goals. In addition, we plan to raise money for retinal disease research.

Through your generous contribution, you can support this journey. By helping raise the estimated associated costs of this trip, your support will help Shared Vision Quest to motivate, educate and raise awareness across the country. Lastly, your support will have a positive impact in achieving our mission of inspiring others to dream big and live bigger.

- Mike