Avenue was created in 2011 in direct response to the experiences so many young people with disability face coming out of the school system and into their adult lives, struggling to find quality opportunities for work and continued skill development beyond the classroom.

This was the experience of Shane O'Reilly, younger brother of Avenue Founders Laura and Jordan, who left school in 2009. Despite Shane's many skills and talents, the world he graduated into in his late teens saw him only in the context of his profound physical disability.

As a consequence, the opportunities Shane was afforded as a young adult were limited to a handful of recreational pursuits, with no meaningful opportunity to work or to grow his talents, particularly around his computer skills. For Shane, a life without contribution was a life without purpose.