#CripQueerPride Twitter Chat

Solid black background with a rainbow heart to the right with the wheelchair logo in the center. To the left of the heart is the following text: #CripQueerPride Twitter Chat. Thursday, August 29, 3pm Pacific / 6pm Eastern. Hosted by @RootedinRights @DaisThinks RootedinRights.org/CripQueerPride

Archive of Twitter chat

Owning one’s disability identity means fighting against narratives and stereotypes that provides a limited understanding of what disability is beyond the medical labels. Our Storyteller Daisy (@DaisThinks) shares how coming into their identity made room for confidence and empowerment to bloom as a queer disabled person.

Join our Twitter chat on Thursday, August 29th at 6pm EST / 3pm PST as we discuss coming into one’s identities and finding pride and boldness in being who we are authentically.  Be sure to use the hashtag #CripQueerPride in your tweets so that everyone can follow the conversation.

Q1: Feel free to introduce yourself in a way that you’re comfortable with.  #CripQueerPride

Q2: What does #CripQueerPride mean to you?

Q3: When was the first time you felt proud to be disabled/have a disability?  #CripQueerPride

Q4: What has prevented you from experiencing #CripQueerPride at different points in your life?

Q5: Has there been a time you felt like your full self was acknowledged, respected, and celebrated? Please describe. #CripQueerPride

Q6: How did you first meet or connect with other queer disabled folks?  #CripQueerPride

Q7: How can people be better allies to queer disabled folks? #CripQueerPride

Q8: What would it mean to have an #AccessiblePride? Or, what would fully accessible queer spaces look like? #CripQueerPride

Q9: Are there any activists or organizations doing great work for queer disabled folks that you’d like to give a shoutout to? #CripQueerPride

Q10: Similarly, are there any examples of media (books, movies, tv, music, etc.) that helped you experience #CripQueerPride that you want to shoutout?


Rooted in Rights exists to amplify the perspectives of the disability community. Blog posts and storyteller videos that we publish and content we re-share on social media do not necessarily reflect the opinions or values of Rooted in Rights nor indicate an endorsement of a program or service by Rooted in Rights. We respect and aim to reflect the diversity of opinions and experiences of the disability community. Rooted in Rights seeks to highlight discussions, not direct them. Learn more about Rooted In Rights

Click here to pitch a blog post to Rooted in Rights.

#ParentingWithoutPity Twitter Chat

Solid colored background with the following text that alternates between yellow and orange font: #ParentingWithoutPity Twitter Chat. Co-hosted by Carrie Basas (@carrie_basas), Ellen Ladau (@ladau_ellen), Heather Watkins (@hwatkins927), & Jessica Roberts (@90sgrungefan). Thursday, May 9th at 3pm EST / 12pm PST. In the middle of the graphic are four images of the chat co-hosts, each of them are featured with their families, who are of various ages and skin tones.

Archive of Twitter Chat

Our #ParentingWithoutPity project allows disabled parents to offer compassionate and frank advice and guidance to non-disabled parents of disabled children.  As we celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day this year, we want to hear from disabled parents about their journey to parenthood and what they learned along the way.

Join four of the parents who shared their stories with us – Carrie Basas (@carrie_basas), Ellen Ladau (@ladau_ellen), Heather Watkins (@hwatkins927), and Jessica Roberts (@90sgrungefan) – as they discuss the ups and down of parenting, what no one told them about as disabled parents, what they wished non-disabled parents who have disabled children knew about disability, and advice they would share to new and aspiring disabled parents.

Be a part of the conversation on Thursday, May 9th, 2019 at 3pm EST / 12pm PST.  Remember to use the hashtag #ParentingWithoutPity in your tweets so that everyone can follow the discussion.  

Q1:  What made you decide to participate in the #ParentingWithoutPity project, and what do you hope its impact will be in sharing your story to non-disabled parents?

Q2:  How has the invisibility of disabled parents affect the way you viewed yourself and your abilities to be a parent?  #ParentingWithoutPity

Q3:  What do you wish non-disabled parents knew about disability that would assist them in raising disabled children to be confident and love who they are?  #ParentingWithoutPity

Q4:  How did you teach your children about disability?  What would they say it was like to have a disabled parent(s)?  #ParentingWithoutPity

Q5:  What encouragement would you give new or aspiring disabled parents about raising children?  What do you wish you had known as a new parent? #ParentingWithoutPity 


Rooted in Rights exists to amplify the perspectives of the disability community. Blog posts and storyteller videos that we publish and content we re-share on social media do not necessarily reflect the opinions or values of Rooted in Rights nor indicate an endorsement of a program or service by Rooted in Rights. We respect and aim to reflect the diversity of opinions and experiences of the disability community. Rooted in Rights seeks to highlight discussions, not direct them. Learn more about Rooted In Rights

Click here to pitch a blog post to Rooted in Rights.

#EqualPay4OurWork Twitter Chat: The Fight to Eliminate the Subminimum Wage

Solid colored background with the following text in white font: #EqualPay4OurWork: The Fight to Eliminate the Subminimum Wage. Co-hosted by the National Federation of the Blind (@NFB_voice) and Shaun Bickley (@LeftistAutist). Tuesday, March 5th, 2019 at 3pm EST / 12pm PST

Archive of Twitter Chat

When the Fair Labor Standards Act passed in 1938, it included a revolutionary protection:  a minimum wage.  But Section 14(c) of the Act included an exemption allowing some workers – people with disabilities – to be paid less.  Eighty-one years later, 14(c) still remains in effect, and many disabled people are employed in “sheltered workshops” where we make, on average, less than $2 an hour.

But that’s changing!  Disability advocates are fighting back, both with Federal legislation and in state legislatures.

Rooted in Rights, in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind (@NFB_voice) and subminimum wage activist Shaun Bickley (@LeftistAutist), is hosting a Twitter chat on Tuesday, March 5th, 2019 at 3pm EST / 12pm PST to discuss the efforts being made to end the subminimum wage and win #EqualPay4OurWork.

We hope to see you join the conversation on March 5th by using the hashtag #EqualPay4OurWork in your tweets and be a part of the discussion.

Questions that will be discussed during the chat:

Q1:  Has there been any legislative action in your state to end subminimum wage?  If not, what can be done to get this issue on the radar of your elected officials?  #EqualPay4OurWork

Q2:  What has been the latest efforts on the federal level to eliminate submimimum wages?  #EqualPay4OurWork

Q3:  How has subminimum wage perpetuated the devaluing of disabled workers’ labor and presence in the workplace?  #EqualPay4OurWork

Q4:  The exploitation of disabled people is a rampant problem.  How have you handled situations where employers sought to exploit your labor on the job?  #EqualPay4OurWork

Q5:  For 2019, what can individuals and organizations do to bring attention to the issue of subminimum wage   #EqualPay4OurWork

To learn more about the subminimum wage, you can watch our documentary, Bottom Dollars, now available in segments on YouTube.


Rooted in Rights exists to amplify the perspectives of the disability community. Blog posts and storyteller videos that we publish and content we re-share on social media do not necessarily reflect the opinions or values of Rooted in Rights nor indicate an endorsement of a program or service by Rooted in Rights. We respect and aim to reflect the diversity of opinions and experiences of the disability community. Rooted in Rights seeks to highlight discussions, not direct them. Learn more about Rooted In Rights

Click here to pitch a blog post to Rooted in Rights.

2018 #DisYearInReview Twitter Chat

A sparkler in front of a background of blurred multicolored lights.

Archive of Twitter chat

2018 is winding down, and Rooted in Rights and the Disability Justice Initiative at CAP (@CAPDisability) want to hear from you about the major moments and shake-ups that occurred in the disability community.  From controversial representation in films and TV to legislation successes and setbacks, 2018 was packed with conversation starters that resonated with every segment of our diverse community.

We want you to tell us what 2018 meant to you and what you hope will take place for our community in 2019.  Use the hashtag #DisYearInReview in your tweets during the chat so that everyone can follow the conversation.

Twitter chat will be held on Wed., December 19th, 2018 at 2pm EST / 11am PST.

Questions that will be discussed during the chat:

Q1:  So much has occurred in 2018 within the disabled community – both as a community and as individuals.  What are the top 3 moments or events that caught your attention this year?  #DisYearInReview

Q2:  Policy and politics were the root of major discussions and protests this year.  What shake-ups do you believe made a big impact on our community?  #DisYearInReview

Q3:  With the new Congress in 2019, what are some disability policies do you hope will be addressed?  #DisYearInReview

Q4:  Disabled voices and topics were trending heavily this year.  What hashtags, articles, videos, blogs, etc., resonated with you?  What would you like to see get attention in 2019?  #DisYearInReview

Q5:  On a personal level, how has 2018 been for you?  For some of us, this year was filled with a mix of highs, lows, and surprises.  #DisYearInReview

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Rooted in Rights exists to amplify the perspectives of the disability community. Blog posts and storyteller videos that we publish and content we re-share on social media do not necessarily reflect the opinions or values of Rooted in Rights nor indicate an endorsement of a program or service by Rooted in Rights. We respect and aim to reflect the diversity of opinions and experiences of the disability community. Rooted in Rights seeks to highlight discussions, not direct them. Learn more about Rooted In Rights

Click here to pitch a blog post to Rooted in Rights.

This Year, I Have a Reason to Celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Employment application on a table with a pen beside it.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month has a different feel for me this year because I recently accepted an offer for my first professional job as the new Project Manager for the CareerACCESS Program at the World Institute on Disability (WID). To accept this position means much to me well beyond the actual work I will be responsible for at WID. Gaining employment has marked my ability to freely begin constructing the life I envision for myself.

My new job means that I can finally get off disability benefits, and no longer be restricted by the archaic laws that dictate our earning power and abilities.  It is this freedom from the system that I’m most eager to experience.  Being on disability has hindered my ability to confidently seek employment.  As a physically disabled person, it was not the loss of the monetary income that was the issue; it was the fear of losing healthcare that dominated how I went about my employment journey. I need healthcare coverage to fully take care of my health needs.  This is a barrier that prevents many disabled people from taking work opportunities. If we lose our healthcare benefits, then that can severely impact our quality of life, which could literally mean life or death for some of us if we do not have access to proper medical services and resources.

No one should have to choose between working and having health insurance and supports. If we choose to work, then we risk losing healthcare; if we choose not to work, then that means we choose to remain in the deep trenches of poverty (as being on disability causes us to be well below the Federal poverty line). To be forced to make such a choice is dehumanizing because it tells us that our desire to obtain employment is a “luxury.”

For most of my adult life, I have had to choose poverty until attaining viable employment.  Though the economy has bounced back from when I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in 2008 and Master’s degree in Social Work in 2012, it was still a priority for me to find jobs where I could make a decent salary, have healthcare, and be fully independent. For instance, I will finally have the financial means to move out of my state to the Washington, D.C. area, a move that I have wanted to do since visiting D.C. for the first time and feeling at home among disabled advocates. To get out of poverty was a necessity, and my new position gives me the freedom to do so.

“Freedom” is the word I purposefully use to describe the surge of emotions that washed over me when I learned that I had the job – emotions that declared that I was worthy of being employed, would be challenged in new ways, and would be able to continue making an impact in our community within the WID, a well-respected entity. 

WID’s CareerACCESS pilot program will allow disabled young adults to gain employment opportunities without risking their disability benefits and healthcare.  As a disabled millennial, I know all too well the struggles of seeking employment while on the disability rolls, and it makes me proud to accept a position where I can manage a program that will assist disabled young people across the country in achieving the goals and dreams they have by retaining employment and independence.

National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2016 marks the year where I can join the labor force as a disabled person.  I can finally have money to save and no longer stress about being penalized for going over threshold limits, I can travel for pleasure and professional reasons, I can continue building my advocacy platform, and I can do simple things like go to the grocery store and buy what I want without having to stick to a stringent budget.  It is these “luxuries” that society and the system have told me, and millions of us, that we cannot have, and with this new job, I can “adult” by my own rules, and take care of myself the way I deem fit.  Though this freedom may seem trivial to some, it is extraordinary to me.  I cannot wait to experience freedom and new opportunities.

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Rooted in Rights exists to amplify the perspectives of the disability community. Blog posts and storyteller videos that we publish and content we re-share on social media do not necessarily reflect the opinions or values of Rooted in Rights nor indicate an endorsement of a program or service by Rooted in Rights. We respect and aim to reflect the diversity of opinions and experiences of the disability community. Rooted in Rights seeks to highlight discussions, not direct them. Learn more about Rooted In Rights

Click here to pitch a blog post to Rooted in Rights.