In 1957 Mey, his wife Suzanne Melgerd, and coworker Willem van der Poel attended a conference hosted by the Helen Keller Foundation to share information about his communication devices. They toured the United States and Canada with a group of deafblind people; a highlight of the trip was a visit to the Oval Office to meet President Eisenhower. On the boat trip from Europe, Mey's lack of balance made it impossible for him to walk unassisted, but as a consolation he did not suffer from seasickness.
