Our Stories
Rooted in Rights tells authentic, accessible stories to challenge stigma and redefine narratives around disability, mental health and chronic illness.
- Activism and Advocacy
- Autism and Neurodiversity
- Community Living
- Criminal Justice
- Disability History and Culture
- Disability Vote
- Education
- Emergency Preparedness
- Employment
- Family
- Health
- LGBTQIA+
- Media
- Mental Health
- Policy
- Race and Disability
- Relationships and Sex
- Sexual Harassment and Abuse
- Storytellers
- Technology
- Transportation
People with Physical Disabilities May Also Need Mental Health Supports, and That’s Okay
This is a story that I was almost afraid to tell. But the fact that I hesitated, that I worried about how it may be received by people that know me in “real life,” is the only reason that I…
Inaccessible Phone Apps Can Put the Safety of Blind and Low-Vision Users in Jeopardy
Inaccessible apps can be a hassle for blind or low-vision people, especially if you use a screenreader like TalkBack for Android or VoiceOver for iPhone. As a blind person, inaccessible apps have prevented me from playing games on my phone …
My Family’s Normalization of Pain Made Me Believe I Wasn’t Strong
My three little toes on the outer sides of my feet curl inward so that when I walk I sometimes step on them. They look like calloused half moons. The skin is red and blistered. My body has adapted to…
#CripQueerPride Twitter Chat
Owning one’s disability identity means fighting against narratives and stereotypes that provides a limited understanding of what disability is beyond the medical labels. Our Storyteller Daisy (@DaisThinks) shares how coming into their identity made room for confidence and
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Deaf Access to Sex Ed with Bethany Gehman
Language barriers, inaccessible media, and ableist stigma continue to prevent Deaf youth from accessing both formal and informal opportunities for sex ed. Bethany Gehman shares her experience as a Deaf sex educator.…
Rooted in Rights Reviews – Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law
In her memoir Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, Haben Girma welcomes readers into her world. “I like my deafblind world. It’s comfortable, familiar. It doesn’t feel small or limited,” she writes, and the memoir illustrates that. …
Finding Space for Myself in a Social Justice Movement that Doesn’t Make Space for Me
Following the end of my writing fellowship with Rooted in Rights, I found myself thinking about why I advocate for the things I do. For as short a time as disability issues have been the primary focus of my writing …
Parenting Without Pity: Resource Video Trailer
#ParentingWithoutPity is a storytelling project where disabled parents offer compassionate and frank advice and guidance to non-disabled parents of disabled children. We want parents to celebrate their disabled children for who they are and to learn from disabled parents who…