In the early months of 2007 an idea was born out of a series of questions: What if the lives of people with intellectual disabilities were built in collaboration with allies and their employees based on what people actually had aptitude for, interest in, and was guided by informed and impassioned desires? What if people were supported to round out their experiences and to see themselves as fully human, wise, and fully expert about their own experiences, and what if human rights workers made themselves useful instead of trying to ‘help’?

What if parents who have intellectual disabilities were supported to keep their kids at home, to parent successfully without fear of intervention supported by human rights workers who focused on assisting parents to parent without judgment?

What if people with intellectual disabilities who experienced mental illnesses and had experienced trauma lived lives that celebrated survivorship instead of focusing on how our systems described their expressions of trauma as a personal failing?

What if we celebrated disability as part of natural human variation? What if we acknowledged that disability forces people into the margins? What if we believed that intellectual disability is never the problem?  What if we decided disability does not have to be another intersection that leads to poverty and social isolation? 

What if we said all those labels and poverty of experience forced upon marginalized populations was bunk? What if we said we don't know all the answers but collaboratively with people with disabilities and their families we were committed to figuring out what citizenship and inclusive communities looks like? What if person by person we committed to be collaborators in building the life the person who hired us wanted? What if we got out of people’s way?

Well, those questions formed the foundation upon which Neighborhood Bridges was built. Our commitment is that person by person the people who hire us will build a life that makes sense for them and support the creation of healthier communities overall. 

A day in the life of Neighborhood Bridges could be an exploration of future employment, it might mean inclusive university classes, it might be a parent teacher interview, socializing with friends or family, maybe just organizing your day, advocating with your medical professionals, or learning a new recipe. Any place that someone who has hired us might go we are committed to being there.