Michael Hingson, a 9-11 survivor that was in the World Trade Center when it was attacked in 2001, is speaking at the Venables Theatre on April 4. (Submitted photo)

By Lyonel Doherty

Aberdeen Publishing

Michael Hingson was in the World Trade Center when it was attacked in 2001. Blind since birth, he had to navigate more than 1,400 stairs to escape the ordeal with his guide dog Roselle.

Next month he will tell his tale in Oliver and how the harrowing ordeal impacted his life.

“Eyesight is not the only game in town,” he often tells people about what it’s like being blind.

In fact, his message is that blindness isn’t the problem; it’s society’s attitude towards the blind because so many people believe that blind people can’t do anything.

“Blind people are people too. We deserve the same rights and protections as others,” Hingson said.

With a masters degree in physics, the best-selling author of Thunder Dog uses technology such as AIRA (visual interpreter) to make his life easier. AIRA can be used with a smartphone (via app) or smart glasses with the help of a professional agent who provides information to the client who makes decisions based on that information. This can assist the client to change a setting on his or her stereo system, go grocery shopping or watch out for that manhole cover on the street.

“I’m using it to get to Oliver,” he said, referring to his April 4 speaking engagement at Frank Venables Theatre at 7 p.m.

Hingson vividly recalls that day when the plane hit the north tower he was in just before he was about to start a sales meeting on the 78th floor. Nobody knew what was going on when the plane struck, but they told everyone to start using the stairs to go down.

“We smelled jet fuel, so we assumed a plane hit the building.”

Hingson said the only thing he was concerned about was making sure people didn’t panic on the stairs. Forty-five minutes later they made it down to the lobby and outside, where they saw the south tower on fire. It collapsed moments later and they started running. Not long after that the north tower came crashing down.

Hingson said 90 per cent of the people who died that day were those trapped above the fires where the planes hit.

He attributed his survival to being prepared for the emergency; he often played it out in his mind what he would do in an emergency, and it saved him.

The morning after his talk in Oliver, Hingson will attend Valley Congregational Church on April 5 for the 10th annual mayor’s breakfast.

He is known for his compelling story of triumph, teamwork and trust, and is a staunch advocate for diversity and inclusion.

As a boy, Hingson had a fearless spirit, thanks to supportive parents who refused to send him away to a home for the handicapped (as recommended by his doctors).

He shocked his neighbours when he rode a bike all by himself through the streets of Palmdale, CA. His father taught him to do math in his head, and his mother taught him Braille.

When he entered high school, the district refused to allow Hingson to board the bus with his guide dog. But his father, with an eighth grade education, fought the system and prompted the district to change that rule.

Hingson went on to amass 27 years in the high tech computer sales industry, followed by working for a guide dog association. He now enjoys life with his wife Karen and his eighth guide dog, Alamo.