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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 pattern of of illustrated speech bubbles that have different emoji indicating harassment.

The Harms of Perpetuating “Illness Fakers”

I had not long been a part of the online chronic illness community when I discovered the Illness Fakers page on Reddit. I only saw it because someone I followed was being harassed, and their content being taken apart on…
2021 International Week of Deaf People logo - a circle made of two hands surrounding a rainbow of stars

Without Meaningful Allyship, Hearing People are Doomed to a Never-Ending Cycle of Poor Deaf Awareness

Deaf people exist, and if you’re a hearing person and are aware of that fact, then you win – though I don’t have any stickers left, and there’s no way for me to know that you are aware of my…
An elevator next to a staircase inside an apartment building.

Accessible Housing is Healthcare. It Could Have Prevented My Hospital Readmission.

When my friend’s car pulled up to the front door of the hospital, I wanted to feel giddy with relief that I was finally heading home. Instead, my head spun with fatigue and vertigo. My body felt weak and my…
A Black woman with short curly black hair in a light pink t-shirt, sitting at a desk using a laptop.

Self-Diagnosing: A Response to Inaccessible Healthcare

Disclaimer: this post is not intended as medical advice. Before I got a medical diagnosis for anxiety and depression, I self-diagnosed. There were many things about my mental health that I couldn’t explain. For instance, why would I, as a…
Malvika Padin standing in a well-lit hallway wearing black-rimmed glasses, shoulder-length dark brown hair left loose, clad in a black top, jeans and a grey coat with her hands in her coat pockets.

The Cultural Implications of Being Disabled in India

It’s been eight years since I began experiencing debilitating flare ups of a chronic condition, and despite having a parent who is a doctor, it never crossed my mind that what I was struggling with could be considered a disability. …
Bright pink sign with photo of Britney Spears that says #FreeBritney

“We Are Human”: The Harms of Placing Disabled People Under Conservatorship

Content note: institutionalization, mentions of suicidality, self-harm, sexual abuse, forced labor, physical assault On June 23, 2021, Britney Spears petitioned the courts to release her from her father’s guardianship (also called conservatorship), alleging abuse and medical coercion perpetrated by her…
A blurred photo of a scattered pile of newspapers, printed all in black and white.

Disability is More Than Just Inspiration or Trauma. When Will Media Cover it Authentically?

When I first started getting approached to write about disability in the media, I was beyond excited. After blogging for years in my little bubble, it felt like I was finally breaking into a space where I could make some…
Graduation cap resting on stacks of coins

I Shouldn’t Have to Share My Mental Health Trauma to Get Scholarships for Graduate School

As a disabled person who is set to begin graduate school this fall, I feel a sense of urgency to earn as much scholarship money as possible to keep educational debt in check. With this goal in mind, I have…
An illustration of a young woman curled up with her head in her heads, sitting on a large laptop with people coming out of the screen and pointing at her, taunting. The image is meant to convey cyberbullying.

It’s Never Okay to Accuse Disabled People of “Faking”

For nearly 2 years I have watched a hateful group of cyber bullies grow in the dusty corners of the internet, a forum of people attacking and degrading those who were just reaching for support in the midst of living…