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Rooted in Rights Blog

We’re here to challenge the status quo, pushing readers and writers alike to think beyond the tired tropes of disability. The Rooted in Rights Blog publishes pieces that share perspectives on disability, amplify key issues and ideas, and make it known loud and clear that disability rights are human rights.

A white person's hand holding up a sign that says "No to white supremacy."

Stop Blaming Autism for Capitalist and White Supremacist Violence

Content note: quotation of ableist slurs, discussion of white supremacy, mass violence, Holocaust, and eugenics In an interview with Talking Points Memo Albert Watkins, the lawyer for self-described “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, who participated in the January 6th Capitol riots,…
A Black person's hands kneading dough on a floured surface.

Putting Respect on the Menu: On Being a Deaf Chef

Everyone has a gift or a purpose that puts a sparkle in their eyes, quickens their heartbeat a little, and wakes them up more excited to start the morning. We go about our daily activities with varied levels of anticipation…
A word cloud of long COVID symptoms in the shape of a face mask.

Is Long COVID Leading to a Tipping Point in Attitudes Toward Chronic Illness?

Could long COVID spell the end of medical gaslighting? Let’s hope so. When Kathy Flaherty, a 53-year-old attorney and nonprofit executive director, got COVID-19 in March 2020, her friends said, “see you in two weeks.” Two weeks came and went,…
Photo of Tiffany, an Asian woman with dark hair below her shoulders, leaning against a tree. She is wearing a hat and a red top. Her arms are crossed, and she is wearing a splint.

The Cultural Dynamics of Being Asian and Disabled

This year will mark 24 years of my life since becoming disabled. Through my work, my disability origin story is quite public. At the age of 9, I became disabled as a result of a car accident that also took …
A montage of people of different races against a rainbow of colorful squares, all wearing face masks.

We Can’t Let Our Guard (Or Our Masks) Down

Recently, I overheard my father telling my husband about how he had quit his gym membership because they were requiring people to wear a mask during workouts. His list of reasons as to why this was uncomfortable for him was…
An abstract pattern in hues of green with a silhouette of a person resting their hand pensively on their chin.

Who Gets Left Behind When We Practice “Evidence-Based” Mental Health Care?

As a counselor just beginning my career, I remember entering the session on evidence-based care for school-age students with an open mind. Of course, I wanted every intervention I used in my counseling office to be based on evidence –…
A pill bottle with brown pills spilled out next to it. To the right of this is a pile of medicinal herbs.

Finding the ME in (ME)dicine

Content note: addresses mental health and mentions suicide Finding the ME in (ME)dicine. Means finding out where I got lost. Pinpointing where I was misguided to believe that my self worth and need for self care was less than that…
A pile of books with an apple on top and a cup with multi-colored pencils in it, in front of a chalkboard.

A Disabled Student’s Guide to Earning Teacher of the Year

Ask anyone on the street to recount a story from their school days, and you’ll probably be met with a range of topics from just how terrible cafeteria food is to the time they were bullied incessantly by an archenemy…
A close-up of a typewriter with a piece of paper in it that says "success stories." The words are crossed out with a black line.

I Do Not Owe You a Disability “Success” Story

The shame I experience because of my disability is a feeling that I do not always feel welcome to express. It is a feeling that manifests simply for being the way that I am and knowing that there is not…