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Activism and Advocacy

Educating the world about disability is how we make progress toward change. Take some time to learn about the advocacy issues that matter most to the disability community, the different approaches to activism, and what issues drive activists to continue fighting.

two scooters parked on a sidewalk

Open Letter to Seattle Mayor Durkan on Scooter Share

By being thoughtful about how we use the entirety of our roadways, we can have a city that is more – not less – accessible for all of us, and at the same time work towards ensuring a climate future for our kids.
Photo of Naomi Ortiz speaking

Why I No Longer Provide Free Disability Access Advice

This morning I did a cold count of places and people I have provided with free disability access information—sharing hard won knowledge grown from my experience and skills putting on accessible events, workshops and doing long-term organizing projects. Pulling up…
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.

#ParentingWithoutPity Twitter Chat

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 …
Black background with the headshot images of Claudia and Angela in a collage style format. In the lower left corner is the title of the poem in white font, “A Blessing All My Own.”

VIDEO: A Blessing All My Own

For National Poetry month, Rooted in Rights is excited to share “A Blessing All My Own,” a poetry collaboration between Claudia Castro Luna and Angela Lemus-Mogrovejo.
green toned photo of Billie Eilish singing on stage to a crowd

Billie Eilish Isn’t “Just” a Musician with Tourette’s, But She Makes Me Feel Seen 

There are many reasons why I’m obsessed with Billie Eilish. Though she’s six years my junior, Eilish has become a personal heroine of my in a short amount of time. Her bold and unapologetic sense of style, her dreamy and…
Video still with Rooted in Rights program director, Anna Zivarts with backwards black cap and Rooted in Rights T-shirt

VIDEO: How to Make Your Video Go Viral. Hint: Be an #a11y

With support from the Ford Foundation, we’ve created a detailed guide for making accessible videos. We hope video makers of all levels and abilities will take the time to check it out!

City of Seattle responds to our snow priorities campaign

On March 15, 2019, after we released Conrad’s video, we received this response Seattle Transportation Department’s ADA coordinator to our letter to City Council. We’ll be working with SDOT to publicize the proposed community meeting, and will also follow…
Conrad views an image of snow filled walkway beside a house.

VIDEO: Seattle’s Snow Planning Freezes Out People With Disabilities

As our city faces a more uncertain climate future it is important that we establish emergency response protocols that include disabled people and other vulnerable users.

Letter to Seattle City Council: Request to Investigate Impacts of Seattle’s Snow Removal Priorities

Dear Members of Seattle City Council: We are writing to request that the City Council investigate the City’s response to our most recent snow events, in particular how the city’s priorities around snow clearance impacted people with disabilities. While Seattle …