Rooted In Rights

Submit a Blog Idea We invite you to pitch us, because your words have power and we want to help you share them.

New blog call! We invite disabled writers to pitch about their experiences related to institutions, and the fight by self advocates to close them. We are seeking pieces around 500 to 700 words. Pay is $400 a blog. More details on our submit a blog page. #Disability #Writing

Black Disabled Rage and Denarii’s Grace I didn't want to write this while angry. I thought that maybe *I* shouldn't write it. I didn't want to say the wrong thing or publish a half-baked thesis out of haste. But here we are. As Philip Seymour Hoffman once said, I am compelled. Honestly it's a rage that I didn't know I had inside of me. It's white hot and black cold all at once.

Black Disabled Rage and Denarii’s Grace

I didn't want to write this while angry. I thought that maybe *I* shouldn't write it. I didn't want to say the wrong thing or publish a half-baked thesis out of haste. But here we are. As Philip Seymour Hoffman once said, I am compelled. Honestly it's a rage…

RestFest Film Festival 2026 RestFest Film Festival is an artist-run virtual film and video art festival & online gathering space created by/for Disabled, Deaf, Chronically ill, Neurodivergent, and/or Mad community. The 2026 festival, happening February 1-28, features 27 film & video artworks and presents 18 virtual events all created/led by Disabled* artists. It is an international festival, with a community spanning 6 continents.The festival provides the…

Three more days to check out the fascinating films of RestFest Film Festival! Read more about the festival from its founder, Bec Miriam in our latest blog.

Violent Ubiquity About a year ago, I attended a vigil for a Queer of Color happening in Capitol Hill in Seattle. The person in question had been visiting to perform and see friends when they were caught in the crossfire of a Seattle Police Department shootout. There were no news reports on the death. No major protests. Not even any major markers to note the vigil itself besides some flowers and a couple dozen people eulogizing them.

An offering from our blog editor Angela, "If you are new to this struggle against oppression, I welcome you with patience and grace. But please, remember how far back this story goes."

Living Disability Justice and Fat Liberation in Such a Time As This I came to Health at Every Size (then body positivity, now fat liberation) in early 2013. I was in my first year of grad school - one of those rare creatures that lived on campus. I didn't realize it initially, but listening to the body stories of my roommate - also a Black grad student - began to radicalize me.

Living Disability Justice and Fat Liberation in Such a Time As This

I came to Health at Every Size (then body positivity, now fat liberation) in early 2013. I was in my first year of grad school - one of those rare creatures that lived on campus. I didn't realize it initially, but listening to the…

Living Disability Justice and Fat Liberation in Such a Time As This I came to Health at Every Size (then body positivity, now fat liberation) in early 2013. I was in my first year of grad school - one of those rare creatures that lived on campus. I didn't realize it initially, but listening to the body stories of my roommate - also a Black grad student - began to radicalize me.

Living Disability Justice and Fat Liberation in Such a Time As This

I came to Health at Every Size (then body positivity, now fat liberation) in early 2013. I was in my first year of grad school - one of those rare creatures that lived on campus. I didn't realize it initially, but listening to the…

The AI Accessibility Divide: How Emerging Tech Could Create New Barriers for Disabled People AI often promises efficiency, fairness, and convenience. Yet for disabled people, interacting with these systems can show a different reality. Take hiring, for example. When you apply for a job today, there's a good chance an algorithm screens your application before any human sees it. Before we go further, it's worth clarifying what we're actually talking about when we say "AI." A lot of people don't realize that AI is essentially an umbrella term, and not all AI technology works the same way or causes the same problems.

The AI Accessibility Divide: How Emerging Tech Could Create New Barriers for Disabled People

AI often promises efficiency, fairness, and convenience. Yet for disabled people, interacting with these systems can show a different reality. Take hiring, for example. When you apply for a job today,…

Living Disability Justice and Fat Liberation in Such a Time As This I came to Health at Every Size (then body positivity, now fat liberation) in early 2013. I was in my first year of grad school - one of those rare creatures that lived on campus. I didn't realize it initially, but listening to the body stories of my roommate - also a Black grad student - began to radicalize me.

Living Disability Justice and Fat Liberation in Such a Time As This

I came to Health at Every Size (then body positivity, now fat liberation) in early 2013. I was in my first year of grad school - one of those rare creatures that lived on campus. I didn't realize it initially, but listening to the…

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The Revolution Will Have Alt Text

"If you can't run a mile without stopping, you're not ready for the apocalypse." When I read this quote on a friend's Instagram story, it infected my mind…

https://rootedinrights.org/the-revolution-will-have-alt-text/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

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When is a canceled rideshare an ADA violation? Riya Anne Polcastro gives context to this all to common experience for disabled riders.

https://rootedinrights.org/denied-rides-cut-deep/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Alice believed in the power of disability stories assertively and lovingly. Collaborating with Alice was a joy. As Alice said, “…I hope everyone will find their people and ways to express love for their communities each and everyday.”

“Capacity” and the Complex Realities of Black Disabled Life With two near-death cardiac episodes within the year, I’ve come to understand capacity in a way I never could have imagined. After months of being bedridden and my hospitalization in January, the c…

Writer, photographer, and digital content creator Brandon Jerrod reflects on their journey toward a reimagining of the concept of capacity, and its impact on the experiences of and outcomes for Black disabled people. #disability #BlackAndDisabled

rootedinrights.org/capacity-and...

Tips for Disabled Library Patrons Public libraries aspire to be places where everyone—including disabled people—belong. They don’t always meet the mark, but disability advocates and disabled people within and outside of library wor…

Lex Van Horn, a disabled library worker, shares useful and informative tips for using and improving libraries for fellow disabled library patrons. Learn about what you can find in a "library of things" - and more! #disability #libraries #accessibility

rootedinrights.org/tips-for-dis...

Many Hands Make the Load Lighter: The Importance of Community Care in Disabled and Immigrant Communities Security, stability, and found family are aspects of community building that have defined my experience as an autistic Afro-Caribbean woman in the rural South. During my adolescence, I witnessed an…

Our latest - from a Black autistic woman writing anonymously - talks about the intersection of disability and immigration from a personal lens, calling us to consider the ways that we can contribute to our diverse communities, often underserved by current systems.

rootedinrights.org/many-hands-m...

Considerations for the Disabled Job Seeker Searching for a job is pretty much always a bad time, but there’s no denying it’s even harder when you have a disability. Many jobs ask if you need accommodations to apply. It’s supposed to be a be…

Anonymous cat lady from LA highlights considerations for disabled job seekers in our newest blog post.

ID: A skeleton with bony arms raised sits behind a desk overlooking a laptop, calculator, and papers. Photo is an actual photo of the author (sarcasm).

How I Edit and Caption My Videos as a Deaf Person Have you ever wondered how a (mostly) oral deaf person edits and captions their own speaking videos? After all, it sounds strange for one to do so if they can’t hear and understand themselves very …

@rikkipoynter.bsky.social shares her experience captioning videos as a deaf creator - and challenges hearing folks to do better. Check out the tools she uses and recommends, the bumps she experienced along the way, and the importance of accessibility.

rootedinrights.org/how-i-edit-a...

A Roadmap for ADHDers Who Just Want to Eat, But OMG It’s so Hard My ADHD presents itself in a limited ability to plan (and eat) a meal. Between choosing a dish, sourcing ingredients, going to a grocery store, prepping, cooking…the thought alone overwhelms me and…

For the latest in our resources series, Ashley Soto shares a food prepping roadmap for ADHDers that draws from personal experience -and highlights the importance of self-compassion and unlearning internalized ableism. #disability #ADHD #DisabilityResources

rootedinrights.org/a-roadmap-fo...

The Disability Joy Jar: A Survival Recipe for Tough Days When chronic fatigue or inaccessible spaces weigh me down, I turn to my Disability Joy Jar: a small mason jar brimming with scraps of paper, each holding a spark of joy or a survival tactic born fr…

In the latest for our series of disabled takes on coping resources for these times, Shivank Pandey writes about his disability joy jar. Learn what it is, why it's important, and how you can make your own! #disability #joy #CopingStrategies

rootedinrights.org/the-disabili...

Caregiving, Depression, and Poetry Since I was thirteen years old, I’ve used poetry as one of my outlets for depression. Whether reading poems by someone else or writing my own, poetry has helped me find meaning in my emotions and e…

Latonya "Penn" Pennington writes about managing the challenges of caregiving as a Black-Asian disabled person. Learn more about how poetry keeps them grounded in the midst of a world that lacks care for multiply marginalized people. Our latest series continues!

rootedinrights.org/caregiving-d...

Building Your Own Community Program EDITOR’S NOTE: The resources hyperlinked in this essay are specific to colonized Canada, but are included for readers as examples of the kinds of organizations and resources available, regard…

Though Shay Erlich's linked resources are specific to colonized Canada, they're great examples of resources and orgs that Shay encourages readers to consider both seeking and planting in your own communities. Our disabled resources series continues! #disability

rootedinrights.org/building-you...

(Junk) Journaling Toward Connection Sometimes (oftentimes) writing is the kind of thing we need to back ourselves into. Facing forward, diving in, especially from great proverbial heights, is simply Too Much—for those who don’t see t…

In our next essay on disabled resources for these times, @cavar.bsky.social writes about a personal creative practice called junk journaling. Learn more about what it is, how it's helped them, and how YOU can start! #disability #writing #journaling

rootedinrights.org/junk-journal...

Letters of Connection: Building Disabled Community Through Snail Mail “No one is healed in isolation…we heal in community.” ― bell hooks I came to love myself as a disabled woman within the intimacy of community. When safety and belongingness seemed absent, community…

In case you missed it, Rasheera Dopson contributes to our resource sharing series with her own creation: a letter-writing community for disabled people of marginalized gender! Check out the inspiration for it - even fill out the Google form! #disability #community

rootedinrights.org/letters-of-c...

Sound off in the comments with your recommendations for local pantries and similar resources - no matter where you are in the world! Make sure to include the city/town and state/province.

The Ins and Outs of Food Pantries Many people who could benefit from food pantries don’t go. Whether pride holds you back or you think you don’t qualify, with grocery prices higher than ever, you should explore your local food pant…

For the latest in our disabled community resources series, Nina McCollum shares her experiences with food pantries: best practices, tips, and why they're so needed. #disability #FoodInsecurity #foodpantries

rootedinrights.org/the-ins-and-...

Check out this livestream happening now! www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBo0...

Finding COVID-conscious Community DISCLAIMER: This post is neither sponsored nor an ad. There are many reasons why some folks never went “back to normal” in the years following 2020. Some of us are immunocompromised, have Long COVI…

For the third piece in our resources and survival series, @fullmetalharmony.bsky.social shares with us the app that makes building COVID-conscious connections easier! Learn what it is, how to access it, and its benefits! #disability #COVID-conscious

rootedinrights.org/finding-covi...

#disability #EmergencyPreparedness #DisasterPreparedness #accessibility

The Next Inevitable Disaster: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness for Disabled Folks Consider me cursed or consider me lucky but, in just under three decades, I’m now up to surviving 13 out of the 18 natural hazards listed on the National Risk Index. After the Los Angeles wildfires…

Here's the first in our survival and perseverance series, disabled people sharing resources with the community. In a time when climate crisis is at our doorsteps, Danielle Brown shares some of their strategies for emergency preparedness. Check it out!

rootedinrights.org/the-next-ine...

#disability #resources #support #CopingStrategies

Resources for Today and Tomorrow Photo Credit: Disabled and Here At Rooted in Rights, our mission is to share disability stories by and for disabled people. We share our stories to connect with disabled people who fight with us fo…

In case you missed it: in December, we gave a preview of what to expect from our new series with our OWN list of resources and tools that help US cope with these "unprecedented times." Check it out - be inspired for the current theme for our call for submissions!

rootedinrights.org/resources-fo...