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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.

Photo of 3 disabled Asian American women, Mia Mingus, Alice Wong and Sandy Ho (from left to right). Mia is wearing glasses and large hoop earrings. Alice is wearing a brightly colored scarf and an army-camouflage-print jacket. She is wearing a mask over her nose with a tube for her Bi-Pap machine. Sandy has wavy short hair and is wearing a black sweater. Behind them is a concrete wall with a door.

On Valentine’s Day, Let’s Recognize Why #AccessIsLove

Roses, chocolates, galentines…there is a lot of emphasis on love for people in our personal lives this time of year. I could cry into my glass of rosé over the lack of romance in my life but instead, …
The word story spelled out in wooden letters, surrounded by other randomized wooden letters.

The Power of Storytelling in Times Like These

As the world around me grows ever more entrenched in the horrors of climate change, political repression, and capitalist growth, my fear grows alongside it. Every day I hear more about the terrors that oppressed communities are facing. With each …
Photo of a young person playing drums. The person's face is not visible, but they are positioned behind the drum set.

How My Parents Helped Me Find My Disabled Identity

I have always loved the way drums sound. During parades, my focus was always on the marchers with the snares; while at concerts my neck was perpetually craned as I struggled to see over the taller members of the crowd …
A cup of tea and pot of honey, a notebook and pen, and a blanket resting artfully on a bed, indicating relaxation.

Slowing Down and Embracing Surgical Recovery is Still Living

I am working through one of those once a half-decade-or-so massive health shifts that folks with any chronic condition may find familiar: a rapid shift in function, surgery to implant more metal bits in me that set off alarms whenever…
An image of a brain made up of different colored ropes. At the back, the ropes are fraying.

Why Inspirational Memes About Mental Health Disabilities Are So Damaging

As a person with mental health disabilities, nothing makes me seethe like those who create inspirational memes that do more damage than good to the people in my community. Whenever I encounter such feel-good shibboleths, my hands tense, my breathing …
Photo of Ryan hugging his service dog, PIco.

Using Rideshare Services Isn’t Easy When You Have a Service Animal. That Needs to Change.

“Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, ‘I don’t believe in The …
A woman wearing a black fabric blindfold.

I’m a Blind Woman. Here’s My Take on the “Bird Box Challenge.”

SPOILER ALERT: This post discusses important plot points from the movie Bird Box in detail. I’m a blind woman who has a few thoughts on Bird Box, and I hope this doesn’t get lost among the sea of memes from …
A graduation cap on a pile of American coins.

Here’s Why Student Loan Debt is a Disability Rights Issue

When Cara Liebowitz graduated from the City University of New York School of Professional Studies in 2016 with her MA in Disability Studies, she was already on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) so she found it surprisingly easy to have her …
Campaigners protest against raids on sex workers in London

Sex Work is a Disability Issue. So Why Doesn’t the Disability Community Recognize That?

Sex workers face enormous risks of violence both from the police and from clients, and they are about to face more.