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Rooted in Rights tells authentic, accessible stories to challenge stigma and redefine narratives around disability, mental health and chronic illness.
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Saying Goodbye: A Message from Emily Ladau, Former Editor in Chief of the Rooted in Rights Blog
I’m not particularly good at saying goodbyes, but I know the time is right for this one. As of January 1, 2022, I am no longer the Editor in Chief of the Rooted in Rights Blog. I came to this…
The Costs of Burdening People with Medical Bills for Involuntary Psychiatric Hospitalization
Years ago, when I was a third-year law student just a few credits away from graduating, I experienced a serious mental health crisis. My psychiatrist at the time involuntarily committed me to a private psychiatric facility in Oakland, California. Because…
How Disabled Queer People Are Finding Community Through Digital Drag
Author note: At the time of writing, Pyx Elated (They/Them) was previously known as Peter Panic (He/Him). They’re comfortable with the article using the name Peter Panic and he/him pronouns as written, but the image description and link at the…
Living (and Leaving) Diagnostic Labels
When I was 20 months old, I was diagnosed with what was then known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). Recently, though, the terminology has changed to Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), reflecting the often ambiguous origins and trajectory of the illness.…
Queen Jasmeen: Creating Space for Disability Through Poetry
“Poetry was the first way I asked for help.” –Jasmine “Queen Jasmeen” Schlafke Slam poet and disability justice advocate Jasmine Schlafke began writing at age twelve and began competing in slam poetry in 2011, where starting in 2012 she won…
Too Disabled? Or Not Disabled Enough?
Imposter syndrome–the feeling that you are pretending to be someone you aren’t–slowly devours me from two sides. On the one hand, I feel “not disabled enough.” My first time voting, I couldn’t reach or see up to the tiny tables…
“Left on Read”: Coping with Communication Anxiety
Content note: trauma, abandonment, emotional abuse Fall comes around again, and I’m feeling like an angsty poet. All I need to do is find my Bette Porter to inspire my love poems. Alas, all I have is my Chicano Oldies…
Justice Should Not Mean Bringing Up Trauma for People with PTSD
Content notes: rape, violence, systematic injustice I used to call flashbacks time travelling. Partly to make light of the situation – is everything really that bad when you can compare it to a Doctor Who episode? (don’t answer that) – …