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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.

Outdoors. A tree surrounded by green grass is seen from the tree top down to its complex roots. The roots are surrounded by soil because they're all underground.

Getting to The Roots: Why Does Subminimum Wage Persist?

In 2018, the National Council on Disabilities reported that people with disabilities in the U.S. have decreased chances of finding work. In addition, the report found that disabled workers often work for subminimum wage, low wages, and under substandard employment …
A fair-skinned, dark-haired person holds a megaphone to their mouth. They're joined by out-of-focus protestors in the background.

It Doesn’t Get Better: Online Activism and TMAU Awareness

A parent with the odor-related medical condition trimethylaminuria (TMAU) recently drew attention to an episode of the NetFlix series Word Party titled “The Search for the Stink Monster.” It reportedly teaches children “You’re never stinky as long as you have …
A close up of a yellow canary bird surrounded by white-petaled flowers with green leaves and gray-brown branches with green shrubbery in the background.

You Make Me Sick: The Dehumanizing Trauma of Disability Benefits Processes

CONTENT NOTE: in-depth discussion of trauma, including medical ableism, as well as brief mentions of childhood neglect and abuse, antisemitism, physical violence, and war/conflict . . . . . . . . . . . .   One Sunday in…
Stressed brown-skinned teacher with long, straight, dark hair in a colorful classroom, sitting at the toy table.

Removing the Stigma of Alcoholism in the Teaching Profession

CONTENT NOTE: detailed discussion of substance abuse and trauma . . . . . . . . . . .   I began drinking heavily during college when I took a semester off, moving from Boston back to Baltimore to…
Two older white women, characters Grace and Frankie, sitting outdoors in separate patio chairs while holding hands and gazing at each other.

This Isn’t A Cane, It’s A Weapon: Ageism, Ableism, and Grace and Frankie

One thing that always frustrated me was when elders would compare my disability to theirs. At first, I brushed off my frustration as reactions to their sometimes ableist and adultist comments. A common assumption I frequently confront is “You’re too …
A blue, orange and red graphic with solid black text and illustrations. The text in the blue portion reads: "ADA Americans with Disabilities Act." Below that, in the orange and red sections, are solid black illustrations that are meant to symbolize or represent various types of disabilities. Listed in order: signing hands, two arrows pointing to an ear with a device in it, a pair of black glasses, an eye with a line crossed through it, representation of braille text with the word underneath, the traditional wheelchair user symbol, an amputee using a cane, a service dog, a person with a white cane, and a person's head with the brain visible.

Busting Barriers: ADHD and ADA Accommodations at Work

When I speak to other ADHDers who were diagnosed as adults, they share a common refrain: “Why didn’t anybody tell me sooner?” No, it’s not supposed to be hard to sustain friendships or clean the house. In fact, there are…
A clear glass overflowing with dark-colored, fizzy soda being poured from above. Plain black background.

The Power of the Autistic Stim

The sensation feels like fountain soda under my skin. It starts in my shoulders and, by the time it has traveled to my elbows, I’m already moving. My hands become a blur. Loose at the wrists, they move back-and-forth, up-and-down …
Two younger, dark-haired people with long hair - one brown-skinned, the other fairer skinned - in a living room. The fairer skinned person, wearing blue scrubs and a stethoscope around their neck, is standing beside the couch where the other person is seated. They're both smiling at the camera as the standing person passes a wooden tray with a white bowl of food and a glass of orange juice to the seated person.

A List of Demands: A Living Wage for Home Care Aids Supports Disabled People

I am angry—angry that Fair Pay for Home Care was not fully funded in New York’s budget in January 2022. And angry that the small pay increase that was approved won’t solve New York’s severe shortage of home care workers. …
Denarii Grace stands outdoors on a sunny day, smiling at the camera in jeans and a black lace top, surrounded by trees..

Turning the Page: Meet Rooted in Rights’ New Editor-in-Chief, Denarii Grace!

CONTENT NOTE: brief mention of domestic abuse (no details)   I began with singing. Then I swam in songwriting. By the time I graduated from elementary school, I was riding the waves of poetry and playwriting. I would be in…