Our Stories

Rooted in Rights tells authentic, accessible stories to challenge stigma and redefine narratives around disability, mental health and chronic illness.

The “Imperative of Efficiency” and The Importance of Interdependence

“The experience of illness is one of dependency, and the social mores of our day regard dependency as weakness.” — New York Times review of Megan O’Rourke’s The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness The Starbucks iced green tea and …

Ask to Vax!

COVID-19 Vaccines for Youth with Disabilities #AskToVax

DREDF, YO! Disabled & Proud, and Rooted in Rights have joined together to help disabled California Youth learn more about COVID-19 vaccines for children aged five and up. Children and youth with underlying

…

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 …

Artwork. A gold plaque has the following written on it in black text: "This institution has failed to provide disabled individuals with an accessible evacuation plan. In the case of an emergency, this is where my people will die. Please remember us. Please remember me."

In the Stairwell, We Will Die

During my sophomore year of college, I wrote my will. That year was filled with trauma. I’d noticed a constant ache in my lower back that soon trickled down my legs and into my feet. They started to look like …

Daytime, an aerial view of Islamabad, Pakistan. It's mostly green tree tops with buildings and roads. Large mountains in the background.

The Many Challenges of Working Disabled Women in Pakistan

In Pakistan, disability has been overlooked and ignored in all aspects of life, including administrative, financial, and legal spheres. As a result, people with disabilities are the most disadvantaged since we are unseen, unheard, and miscounted in the country. …

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 …