OUR STORY
WE believe everyone deserves empathy and should be known by their name, not a label.
BRIDGED was founded by Amy Hibbs and Allison Huffstutler in 2021. The mission of BRIDGED was crafted from experiences in both their personal lives and professional lives. Below are the stories of how their experiences ignited a passion and provided unique insight to create change in their communities for individuals with disabilities and their families.
AMY’s Story
Amy, an Occupational Therapist who has a disability herself, is the mother of two sons with disabilities: Caleb, who has cerebral palsy and Cabezas Syndrome, and Luke, who has autism.
In 2019, Caleb started attending a local public school. Amy was hopeful he would learn and socialize like any other child. But from the very first day, the signs—both literal and figurative—told a different story.
Caleb’s classroom was labeled not by grade or teacher, but simply as “ID (Intellectual Disability) Moderate.” His artwork was credited not to him, but to “ID Moderate Students.” At drop-off, staff hesitated to help Caleb out of the car. At recess, his class played alone “for safety.” And at lunch, Caleb and his classmates sat separately and were watched by and laughed at by other kids.
Amy quickly realized that disability-inclusion should be more than being in the same building as everyone else. It should mean being seen, valued, and known by name, not by a label.
allison’s Story
Allison, an educator, had limited experience with disability until the birth of her daughter, Haley, who was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome and autism. Wanting to better understand and connect with her daughter, Allison began learning directly from individuals in the disability community—listening to their lived experiences to grow in empathy and perspective.
As a mother of three, Allison also wanted to equip her other children with the language and confidence to talk about disability. When her young son told her he didn’t know how to talk about Haley with his friends, Allison searched for resources, but found none. So, she offered to create and teach a lesson about disability to her son’s 3rd grade class.
The night before the lesson, schools shut down due to COVID-19.
But the planning sparked something lasting. Allison saw a clear and urgent need for disability education—not just for her own family, but for all kids. The lesson was delayed, but her mission was not.
MISSION
We provide education, resources and innovative solutions to promote and advocate for the awareness, connection and inclusion of people with disabilities in their communities.
VISION
We envision a world where everyone is valued, invited and is participating with their unique purpose in their communities.
Values
Together we learn empathy, awareness, effective communication and community building.
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