A group of 16 Adults posing in front of a large window overlooking new york city. Blind travel Foundation Eye and Airplane logo, NYC 2025 caption in bold letters

Highlights Galore!! Unforgettable NYC Weekend with Blind Travel Foundation

What an honor it was to be invited to this year's NYC Weekend, headed up by the Blind Travel Foundation with host and Founder, Mike Walsh!

  Must-watch this Video!

FEELDOM is a proud sponsor of the Blind Travel Foundation, which supports blind and visually-impaired trailblazers in their fields to expand their community-uplifting outreach across the globe.  This year, three teams were selected to receive $10,000 each in travel funds for their projects, plus tons of awesome FEELDOM products for their journey ahead.

-----------  But let's not save the best for last! 

Clearly the highlight of the weekend was the once-in-a-lifetime experience of our very own Tactile Guided Tour courtesty of the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art). 

Gloved-up and briefed on proper statue-touching etiquette, we started off with three very contrasting statue types by Rodin.

A man in a museum is feeling a small bronze statue of a man walking

We learned a tremendous amount about the various artistic styles of the artist, and got to explore the textures and forms of famous artworks, such as "The Creation / The Hand of God" (below)

A woman in a museum is reaching out to feel a white marble statue of a hand and human figures.

Our educator encouraged us "Not to be shy!" when reaching out to feel the nude statue of a man, wherein Rodin explores the "Art of Bronze".  Needless to say, some hands landed on unexpected regions of the statue, promting one to exclaim, "I think I just grabbed something I shouldn't have!" followed by well-deserved group laughter and a gathering crowd of surprised and curious onlookers.

Two men in a museum are touching a large bronze statue of a nude man.
A group of people in a museum are feeling a large lion sculpture made of granite

A double sided Lion's head sculpture formed a partial base of an ancient brass bathtub. It was fascinating to touch the objects that were hand-carved in granite and marble thousands of years ago -- what an epic feeling!

A larger-than-life-side Egyptian cat-faced pharaoh statue sat perfectly still for us while we inspected its headpiece's intricate details. (below)...  We imagined that it was the boss of the other statues when they come alive at night...

two people in a museum are feeling a large black statue of a seated pharaoh with a lion face.

Much gratitude to all the organizers and supporters who made this possible!

A vibrantly smiling woman with short hair is a tour guide in a museum, talking with someone

"I deeply enjoyed working with y’all! One of my favorite tours I’ve led ever. ✨✨✨" Cat Luo, MET Educator and Tactile Guided Tour leader.   @catluo27.art 

Emeline (above, left) carries her CHIC-LT24 Adaptive satchel.

A smiling woman with long hair standing next to a very large robed statue with no head or hands

Event organizer, video producer, and behind-the-scenes talent, Rosalie Chandler (above), poses with a headless statue that, strangely enough, seemed to stare right through my soul.  Rosalie is on the BTF board of directors as Development & Strategy Director.

A photographer in a museum holds a large video camera at waist level. He's wearing a backpack

Our weekend's videographer, Jordan (above), carrying Mike Walsh's Performance Block Large Backpack.

And the man behind it all -- Mike Walsh, Founder and Exec-Direc. of the Blind Travel Foundation (below), doing all the heavy lifting as he brings the FEELDOM Gear to the swanky meet-and-greet brunch overflowing with delicious treats, coffee and a group of truly wonderful people.  Mike's future (now actual) wife, Angie (unpictured) was setting up the bountiful spread as we arrived.

BTF sponsors and grant winners got to know each other by breaking the ice, introducing their guide dogs (while keeping deliciously-stacked plates out of snout-reach) and got hooked up with some serious merch from yours truly, as well as navigation access services from Aira and trendy swag boxes courtesy of 2 Blind Brothers!

Earlier that day...

A smiling man is carrying 2 large carboard boxes with Korean writing on the sides into a fancy lounge area
An illuminated bar top is decorated with a display of FEELDOM backpacks and bags

------- "YOU get a bag!  

A woman wearing a cap is holding a large backpack in the air.

                ---------------------  YOU get a bag!   

A woman is holding out a black and white backpack to a woman seated on a couch

-----------------------------------------  Everybody gets a bag!  

It's true, all three grant-winning teams received up to $1,000 in FEELDOM Adaptive Gear, equipping them for their sponsored travel adventures ahead!  

A woman wearing a cap is handing a pink backpack to another woman
A woman is checking out a pink cane pouch

Emeline Lakrout, a researcher and rock-climber, (above) is appreciating her new rose-pink STAR Backpack and matching Cane Pouch-Z, while seasoned traveler and colleague, Daniel Gutz (below) joyfully receives his TREK Travel Backpack.

Learn more about Emeline and Daniel's travel project on Instagram...

Unseen Chronicles: Understanding Ourselves Through Blind History

A smiling bald man with a beard is reaching over his head to grab a backpack
A woman and a man seated on the couch are inspecting new bag and backpack related items

Daniel (above, left) is checking out his backpack accessory, the MOOL Bottle Holster.

A smiling man is enjoying his new gray backpack which is on his lap

Professional Pianist, Ingnasi Cambra selected an array of smaller FEELDOM bags and pouches, including the new Navi-pal (below) to carry his specialized recording equipment as he travels around the world to share his musical talent. Learn more about Ignasi's travel project on Instagram...

 Blind Notes: A Touring Podcast with Blind Musicians and Their Mentors 

A smiling man is holding a small phone pouch with a window on the front of it.

Sisters and travel partners-in-awesomeness, Erin (below, left) and Monica Pruitt, holding the City Block backpack and matching JAYU Crossbody bags.

Learn more about Erin and Monica's project on Instagram! 

Accessible Travel on a Budget: Exploring the Great Outdoors

Two women seated on the couch are receiving small bags from FEELDOM designer
2 smiling women are receiving a black and white backpack

Above 10-photo sequence courtesy of Cody Rasmussen, used with permission.

After grabbing some pizza slices nearby, we arrived at the PUBLIC... Theater, that is,  to see the musical "Goddess," which featured African-inspired storytelling with a modern twist and earth-shaking rhythms.  

3 people walking on a sidewalk in NYC

Ignasi walks with his black guide dog, Aventure, sporting his new Viva Ultralight backpack, as Monica (right) and Erin lead the way to the front steps of the Public Theater.

The inside of a darkened theater with a blue light and empty stage, colorful program cover

Breifly entertaining myself with the Playbill... until the rhythms of the opening dance sequence hit, and then we were engrossed in the musical which had a dynamic story-line, brilliant vocals and fantastic costume designs!

An open program describing the cast of the musical Goddess and a ticket stub

The back cover says, "Find the horse...", but honestly, I couldn't, and it's still bothering me to this very day.  Anyone out there know what the answer to this riddle is? (below)

A program back page with a colorful design of men in a yard with saddles and horses, intended to be a mystery of sorts, sponsord by hermes

We tried out the theater's real-time audio description service, which turned out to be a work-in-progress.  Nontheless, it was an unforgettable afternoon that immersed us in the lively music and culture at the heart of NYC!

That evening, we wound down (and up again) with a fun and intimate group dinner at Brooklyn's Westville DUMBO, which, as I learned, is not related to the beloved baby elephant.

an outdoor table at a restaurant patio with 10 people seated and ready to eat

Blind wayfinding tech legend and BTF Board Member, Mike May (below, left), poses for a photo with me. This year, he lead FEELDOM through the design and development phases of our summer's best-selling new item, the Navi-Badge!

Mike May will be hosting the Blind Travel Summit this fall in Austin, TX, sponsored in part by FEELDOM -- Hope you can make it!

To learn more about the Blind Travel Foundation, check out the website or click here to DONATE or APPLY for the 2026 Grant. 

 We can't wait to see what's in store for next year!

@Blind Travel Foundation Instagram

Blind Travel Foundation FaceBook

Find out about Aira's FEELDOM Navi-Pal Giveaway!

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