Action 2 Impact Show: Trust And Escape At Ground Zero with Mike Hingson

Send us Fan Mail A building sways, the air turns sharp with jet fuel, and a guide dog wakes up ready to work. Mike Kingson, New York Times best-selling author of Thunder Dog, takes us back to the 78th floor of World Trade Center Tower One on September 11th and walks us through what kept him moving when thousands of people were trying to survive at the same time. What stands out isn’t a movie-style miracle. It’s preparation, clear thinking, and the quiet confidence of Roselle doing her job while everything outside the stairwell turns unreal. From that 9-11 survival story, we pivot into something just as necessary: blindness etiquette and the everyday misconceptions that make life harder for blind and low vision people. I ask the uncomfortable questions sighted folks think but rarely say out loud, and Mike answers with patience and edge. We talk about why “visually impaired” can land wrong, why speaking louder to a blind person is a tell, and why the real barrier is often attitude, not ability. He also shares a reframing that sticks: if you’re light-dependent, you’re not “normal,” you’re accommodated. Then we get practical about guide dog etiquette and service dog rules. If a dog is in harness, it’s working, so ask the handler first and accept the answer. Mike breaks down the Americans with Disabilities Act definition of a trained service dog, explains how fake service dog vests damage access for everyone, and even tackles the question people love to argue about: can blind people drive with the right information and technology? Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a reality check, and leave a review so more listeners find the show. What’s one assumption you’ve caught yourself making about blindness or service dogs? Support the show Join me as I talk to those "amazing people turning their Actions 2 Impact all over the world. #BE THE CHANGE