Celebrating 37 Years of Bridges from School to Work
Celebrating 37 years of creating pathways to employment, empowering young adults with disabilities, and building stronger communities nationwide.
On October 16, Bridges from School to Work celebrates 37 years of creating pathways to meaningful employment for young adults with disabilities.
Founded by the Marriott family in 1989, Bridges began with a simple but important idea: young people with disabilities leaving high school should have the opportunity to enter the workforce, demonstrate their abilities, and build meaningful careers. The first Bridges job placements followed in 1990.
What started in Washington, D.C. has grown into a national organization serving communities across the country. Over the decades, Bridges expanded to cities including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas, Oakland, Boston, Fort Worth, New York City, and Richmond. In 2026, that story continued with the launch of programs in DC Metro, Salt Lake City, and West Palm Beach, bringing Bridges to 14 U.S. cities.
While our reach has grown, the heart of our work has remained the same: prepare young adults with disabilities for the workplace, connect them with employers ready to hire, and continue supporting them after they begin working.
Thirty-seven years of impact would not be possible without the participants and families who trust us, the employers and community partners who open doors, the supporters who invest in our mission, and generations of Bridges staff who have dedicated themselves to this work.
As we celebrate 37 years, we're also looking forward. New communities, new employer partnerships, and thousands of young people are still ahead of us.
Here's to 37 years of opportunity, and to building even more Bridges in the years to come.