A Lesson in Inclusion: What 9/11 Taught Us About Disability and Emergency Preparedness

September 11, 2001, changed our country forever.

Twenty-five years later, we remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost, the courage of first responders, and the countless acts of compassion and bravery that emerged from one of the darkest days in American history.

But 9/11 also revealed something that received far less attention: during an emergency, accessibility can become a matter of life and death.

A Different Experience of Evacuation

Thousands of people faced the enormous challenge of escaping the World Trade Center towers that morning. For people with disabilities and others with mobility limitations, evacuation presented additional barriers.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which conducted an extensive investigation of the World Trade Center disaster, found that approximately 6% of surviving occupants reported having a pre-existing limitation to their mobility. As emergency responders worked their way through the North Tower, firefighters and police encountered between 40 and 60 people with mobility limitations gathered on the 12th floor awaiting assistance.

Responders were helping approximately 20 of them down the stairs shortly before the tower collapsed.

Yet September 11 also produced powerful examples of what can happen when people with disabilities are included in emergency planning.

Michael Hingson, who is blind, was working on the 78th floor of the North Tower when the attacks occurred. With his guide dog, Roselle, he evacuated the building. Hingson’s experience was later included in a National Council on Disability report examining the importance of including people with disabilities in emergency preparedness and response.

His experience underscored an important lesson: preparedness should never assume that everyone experiences an emergency in the same way.

What We Learned

In the years since 9/11, emergency preparedness has increasingly recognized the importance of planning with people with disabilities rather than simply planning for them.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that people with disabilities may experience additional barriers during emergencies. Communication, transportation, evacuation, access to assistive equipment, medical services, and everyday support systems can all become more difficult during a disaster.

Disability inclusion in an emergency therefore means thinking beyond ramps and doorways.

It means asking whether a person who is deaf can receive an emergency warning. Whether someone with an intellectual or developmental disability can understand the instructions being provided. Whether a person who uses a wheelchair has an accessible evacuation route. Whether someone who communicates differently can tell a first responder what they need. And whether individuals who rely on caregivers, medications, assistive technology, or transportation have a plan if those supports are disrupted.

These are questions that should be asked before an emergency happens.

Preparedness Is Part of Inclusion

Today, the CDC recommends individualized emergency planning that considers communication needs, transportation, medications, assistive technology, service animals, and the people who provide support. Plans should also be practiced and updated as a person’s needs change.

But perhaps one of the most important lessons is that people with disabilities need a voice in creating those plans.

The CDC’s “whole community” approach emphasizes involving people with disabilities throughout emergency mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Their lived experiences can identify barriers that might otherwise be overlooked.

That principle extends well beyond emergency preparedness.

At Sycamore Services, our mission is rooted in the belief that people with disabilities deserve the opportunity to participate fully in their communities, make choices about their lives, and have their voices heard.

True inclusion means considering accessibility not as an afterthought, but from the beginning.

Remembering by Moving Forward

On this 25th anniversary of September 11, we remember those whose lives were lost. We honor the first responders, coworkers, friends, and strangers who helped one another that day. And we recognize the lessons that emerged from tragedy.

Among them is a lesson that remains relevant today:

A community cannot truly be prepared unless everyone is included in the plan.

Twenty-five years later, we can honor the past not only by remembering what happened, but by continuing to build communities where every person is seen, heard, valued, and considered — every day, and especially when it matters most.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Emergency Preparedness and Disability Inclusion. CDC, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/disability-emergency-preparedness/about/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Emergency Preparedness for People with Disabilities. CDC, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/disability-emergency-preparedness/people-with-disabilities/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Making an Emergency Plan. CDC, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/disability-emergency-preparedness/people-with-disabilities/make-a-plan.html

National Council on Disability. Saving Lives: Including People with Disabilities in Emergency Planning. April 15, 2005. https://www.ncd.gov/report/saving-lives-including-people-with-disabilities-in-emergency-planning/

National Institute of Standards and Technology. Latest Findings from NIST World Trade Center Investigation Released. October 19, 2004. https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2004/10/latest-findings-nist-world-trade-center-investigation-released

National Institute of Standards and Technology. About the NIST World Trade Center Disaster Investigation. https://www.nist.gov/world-trade-center-investigation/about-investigation