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 photo of a building on the Harvard campus, surrounded by a bright blue cloudy sky and bright green grass.

I’m a Disabled Uruguayan Person Who’s Been Accepted to Harvard…but the World’s Education Systems Still Leave People with Disabilities Behind.

Two months ago, I received news that changed my life completely. I learned that I had been accepted to study at Harvard University on a full scholarship. As this news went viral, many seemed to believe my story is…

A yellow megaphone against a purple background with yellow lightning bolts coming out to indicate sound.

Safeguarding My Mental Health While Fighting Queerphobia in Zimbabwe

When you live in a country where laws are upheld that marginalize people who look like you, openly existing is a radical act of defiance. You know the risks of openly defying such laws. People vilify your existence, harming or…

Hungry for Change: On Inaccessible, Exclusionary, and Discriminatory Care for Autistic People with Eating Disorders

Trigger warnings: eating disorders, racism/racist health disparities, mental health disparities; ableism, misogyny, gaslighting of Black women and Latinas with eating disorders, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia, and oppressive barriers to care The link between autism and anorexia is an international conversation,…

Several ampoules with the COVID-19 vaccine.

As COVID-19 Vaccinations Continue, Disabled People are Once Again at the Back of the Line

My husband Leor and I have been in lockdown for a year now. Neither of us can risk getting COVID-19. I’m at high risk for being infected. I also could have serious complications or death from it due to underlying…

Illustration of a row of Black and Brown fists in the air.

The Power of Black Disabled Representation During Black History Month

Each February, the United States celebrates Black History Month. It is a month that brings about many different emotions for me, ranging from excitement and pride to pain, grief, and frustration. It’s a time when school systems read books by…

Photo of Sia in a black dress and blonde wig with a black bow.

Sia’s New Film “Music” Isn’t Just Bad Representation of Autistic People; It’s Downright Dangerous.

Content note: includes discussion of mistreatment of autistic people, including prone restraint Amidst the utter mess that was 2020, I found a bright spot by discovering the tv show Everything’s Gonna be Okay on Freeform. Though it’s not perfect, I…

Three rows of outlines of heads, all in different bright colors with different colorful backgrounds

Speaking Up Against the Hierarchy of Mental Illness Taboos

There’s a moment I think back to often from my senior year of college. Before the start of a meeting, I noticed my friends were visibly upset about some of the outrageous things a mutual friend with bipolar disorder (who…

Young female-presenting person of color sitting on their couch with a laptop on their lap, working.

Working From Home Levels the Playing Field for Disabled People. Why are Businesses so Intent on Returning to the Office?

I recently went viral on Twitter for sharing how a disabled friend was forced to quit her college back in January because the school wouldn’t allow her to study from home. Just two months later, she watched this exact accommodation…

Hand holding a megaphone. The megaphone is white and red, and the red part fades off into multicolored paint splatters

I’m a Disability Activist Because I Have to Be, But Not Always Because I Want to Be

“Congratulations,” “this is amazing Shona,” “well done!” All of these are well meaning and probably deserved comments that I often receive in response to results from my activism work, but more recently they’ve felt less like positive encouragement and more…