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 person wearing headphones and a sweatshirt, sitting in front of a computer screen

Why Describe? Audio Describing Your Video Content Makes a World of Difference.

Why Describe? Check out our video on audio description, and then read on below. Audio Description is an accessibility feature that’s not very well known, but very important to its users. Audio described movies and videos include spoken description…

Photo of Presidential debate stage with four empty podiums

Here’s Some Free Advice for Presidential Candidates on How to Talk About Disability

The 2020 Elections are still 17 months away and there are currently 26 people are running for President. We’re just about to see the first two Democratic Debates, set for June 26 and 27. With that in mind, I’d…

Photo of Yolanda in a black dress and pink scarf sitting in a manual wheelchair

Inclusion of Disabled People in the LGBTQ+ Community is About More Than Accessibility

Accessibility at major Queer events like Pride is extremely important to disabled LGBT2SQQAAIP (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Two Spirit Queer Questioning Aromantic Asexual Intersex Pansexual) people, and many of us are willing to provide guidance to help make it happen.…

Photo of a woman in a blue jumpsuit standing at a podium on stage, speaking. She is looking up at the lights.

I’m Not Sorry If My Disability Makes You Uncomfortable

I spent the first 30 years of my life doing everything I could to not let people know I couldn’t see things. I ordered the same things at the fast food restaurant, I got dropped off a block away so nobody knew that my parents were driving me, I didn’t follow my dream to study medicine or be a scientist.

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…

Disabled People Deserve Better Access to Care for Eating Disorder Recovery

The first time in what was already a decade-long experience of anorexia that someone was willing to admit I had other disabilities, I was twenty years old. I was told I would be best served in an institution due to …

Photo of Ali Stroker, a blonde-haired white woman in a wheelchair.

Ali Stroker’s Tony Nomination Puts Disability Center Stage

Disability representation is taking center stage. Literally. And as a woman with a disability, I’m here for it. This year’s Tony nominations were recently announced, and they signaled a historic moment: Actress Ali Stroker became the first performer in…

Tyrion Lannister, Dwarf Identity, and the Struggle for Agency

*Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers from Season 8 of Game of Thrones* Paul Steven Miller was an icon in the dwarf community. After graduating with two Ivy League degrees and fashioning a career in public service as a Commissioner…

Photo of grocery store window says "we accept SNAP"

How Rule Changes for CalFresh Will Positively Impact Disabled Californians

During the decade or so before I landed my current job, I lived in Los Angeles while receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI). This is to say that I lived in a county where the average rent for a studio apartment…