Hands holding gears connected together. They are in the shadow of the sun against a blue sky.

Disability Justice Must Include All Marginalized Identities

When Rooted in Rights first accepted me for their inaugural Rooted in Writing Fellowship program last year, my reaction was one of pure disbelief. For all that I have struggled in my post-grad life to make writing a full-time career,
Photo of a person's finger with an "I Voted" sticker stuck to it.

Midterm Elections are Over, But Our Work for Disability Representation in Government Isn’t Done

Minority groups have always been under- or un-represented in office - a fact that has left far too many voices out of the process of creating the laws we all must live by.
Red leather BDSM accessories including ball gag, cuffs, rope, flogger, collar and leash.

Why BDSM is a Healing Practice for My Mental Health

Tighter. Please. Keep my mind still. Help my mind stay in this body. I pray to anyone who will listen. Winding, twisting, knotting, allowing myself to be tied into place. Tying the knots so tight my mind will not stray
Trans pride flag and LGBTQ pride flag waving on a flagpole in front of trees

Why We All Need to Fight for the Rights of Transgender Disabled People

It’s a difficult time to be disabled in America. We are stretched thin, fighting for our lives on multiple fronts. And when your own house is on fire, it’s understandable to feel that you lack the resources to fight for…
Sandy Ho sits in her power chair and speaks into a microphone, next to another speaker on a stage in front of an audience.

The Disability Intersectionality Summit: A Gathering for Justice

On a damp and chilly Saturday in mid-October, I rolled out of bed several hours earlier than I usually would have in order to attend the biannual Disability Intersectionality Summit in nearby Cambridge, Mass on the MIT campus. Groggy but
A profile of a person in a surrealist, rainbow-colored painting

Embracing My Queer, Disabled Identity

I realized I am not straight my junior year of college. I had a massive crush on my friend, a girl. I still liked guys, though, so I figured I was bisexual, or pansexual, or whatever you want to use…
two hands holding together on blurred green background

Sex Education is for Everyone. Even Disabled Kids.

We live in a society that desexualizes disabled bodies. This allows the topics of sex and sexuality to be left out of the educations of many young disabled people. As disabled students head back into the classroom this year, this…
Sign with a handprint that reads "NOLA Disability Pride Festival" hanging on a wrought iron gate.

I Celebrate Disability Pride, But Am I Really Proud of My Mental Illness?

When advertising for this year’s New Orleans Disability Pride Festival I was blown away by the positive responses we received, but there was one outlier expressing their disapproval whose words I just cannot shake. Amid the cries of “This is…
Transgender flag pattern on the fabric texture

Navigating the Twists and Turns of Healthcare as a Trans Disabled Person

Statistics on the transgender community are hard to come by — we can’t even agree on how many people in the United States are trans. We do know, however, that trans people experience significant health care disparities, particularly in…