CW: Terrorist Attacks, Death, & Illness
Twenty-five years after 9/11, the day still feels strangely quiet, calm before the memorials start, before the names are read, before the country begins its yearly remembrance. The narrative is still the same: heroism, shock, national unity. But disability is part of the story that hasn’t been fully told, and it shaped both the chaos of that day and the aftermath.
Disabled people were in the towers working or visiting. After the attacks, it was estimated that about 300 people with mobility, vision, or cognitive disabilities were in the World Trade Center on any given workday. Many of them needed elevators, which stopped working right away. The only way out was the stairs, and they were narrow, crowded, and steep. The 9/11 Commission later admitted what advocates had been saying for years: there was no real plan to evacuate disabled people from those buildings.
On the 12th floor of the North Tower, that failure became personal. Michael Bitwinski knew his friend and former deskmate, John Abruzzo, was already at the office. Abruzzo used a power wheelchair and couldn’t use the stairs.
Bitwinski and nine other coworkers put him in an evacuation chair, which had been installed after the 1993 bombing, and started the long trip down. They took turns every five floors so they wouldn’t get too tired. It took over an hour.
By the time they reached the lobby, the street outside was covered in a thick layer of dust. They carried Abruzzo north on West Street, not knowing that the South Tower had already fallen. When the North Tower started to collapse, they ran into an empty school and waited in the dark until ambulances arrived.
Much higher up, on the 78th floor, another survivor was also heading down. Michael Hingson, who is blind, made it out of the tower with his guide dog, Roselle. As the stairwell filled with panic, a police officer yelled, “Get out of here, it’s coming down now.” Hingson described the sound of the South Tower collapsing as a mix of a freight train and a waterfall, with metal and glass breaking somewhere above. He points out that his survival was a partnership, not just Roselle leading him. They both did their jobs as the building shook around them.
Ever since that day, disability has remained an important part of 9/11’s tragic legacy. Hundreds of thousands of first responders, cleanup crew members and victims have suffered from chronic respiratory illnesses, cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other health issues caused by exposure to the toxic dust created on September 11.
Over 91,000 people enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program initially during its inception. More than half of whom were ultimately found to have at least one 9/11-related illness. And for these people, their experiences reflect some of the longest-lasting consequences of the tragedy.
Twenty-five years later, this number has continued to grow, with today’s World Trade Center Health Program now having over 145,000 members, including more than 67 percent who have been certified to be living with at least one condition directly related to 9/11. Their stories represent the continuation of 9/11’s legacy—rather than just an effect of that day itself.
These stories are part of one of the most tragic days in our nation’s history. They show us that disability is not just a side note to the attacks; it’s a central part of what happened. Twenty-five years later, remembering feels incomplete if these stories aren’t included.
Sources:
Ayers, Caleb D., et al. “Disparities in Utilization of the World Trade Center Health Program Among World Trade Center Rescue and Recovery Workers and Volunteers.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 22, no. 4, 2025, article 643. MDPI, 19 Apr. 2025, doi:10.3390/ijerph22040643.
Byzek, Josie, and Tim Gilmer. “Unsafe Refuge: Why Did So Many Wheelchair Users Die on Sept. 11?” New Mobility, 1 Dec. 2001, https://newmobility.com/unsafe-refuge-why-did-so-many-wheelchair-users-die-on-sept-11/.
Fallon, Scott, Joe Strupp, Nancy Cutler, and Karissa Waddick. “September 11 Attacks: 25 Years Later, Survivor Stories.” USA Today, 8 Sept. 2026, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/09/08/september-11-attacks-25-years-later-survivor-stories/91511170007/.
Grady, John, and Damon P. S. Andrew. “Equality of Access to Emergency Services for People with Disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.” Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, vol. 17, no. 1, 2007, pp. 1–25. Indiana University, https://journals.indianapolis.iu.edu/index.php/jlas/article/download/22113/21276/33154.
Martinez, Jesus. “9/11 Survivor Michael Hingson Shares Escape Story and Lessons of Resilience in East Texas.” CBS19, 10 Sept. 2026, https://www.cbs19.tv/article/news/community/911-survivor-in-east-texas/501-e51c89f6-02fc-4785-a67b-c0ac8e5fb456.
Morgan, Katrina. “25 Years After 9/11, More than 145,000 People Are Still Being Treated for Related Illnesses.” WCNC Charlotte, 9 Sept. 2026, https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/history/remembering-911/25-years-911-health-impacts/507-320961de-25b8-481c-9deb-42e3854d3945.