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The focus of Wilton residents Janine Kelly, JD and Deborah List, PhD in their consultancy, College Access & Beyond, LLC, is to help unique students navigate a post-secondary path. The duo’s mission is to support students with disabilities and their families as they plan for transition to college.

Kelly and List are hosting a “Meet and Greet” at Tusk and Cup in Wilton (142 Old Ridgefield Rd.) on Friday, May 6, from 9-11 a.m., and are inviting members of the community to join them for coffee, Q&A and conversation, and an opportunity to learn more.

Through their combined professional experiences working with students of all ages, Kelly and List strive to educate students and their families so they can access the support and accommodations they need to develop college readiness skills and find the college that is the “right fit” for them. Their services include:

  • Helping students build academic and life skills in middle and high school that will lead to independence
  • Encouraging students to access supports/accommodations that will translate easily to a college environment
  • Building IEPs and 504 plans that will support the development of key college and employment readiness skills
  • Increasing students’ understanding of their individual needs
  • Strengthening students’ self-advocacy skills
  • Investigating colleges and universities to find the “right fit”
  • Obtaining information on technical schools, community colleges, and gap year programs and 2-4 year colleges/universities that support students with learning needs
  • Navigating a college or university system once enrolled

Their work focuses on the development of self-advocacy skills, which are critical for success in college and beyond, as well as working with higher education staff directly to implement environments that support accessibility and UDL.

Kelly is a special education advocate in Connecticut and has been supporting children with disabilities and their families for over 12 years. She is the founder of Advocate Together, LLC and advises students and families on all aspects of the special education process from preschool to post-high school transition.

List has worked in public health in hospital, government, advocacy, and research settings around access and quality of care issues for children with disabilities for over 25 years. She received her undergraduate degree with Honors from Brown University and has a master’s degree in health education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also holds an MPH in public management and community health from Harvard School of Public Health. In 2001, she completed her PhD in public health at Johns Hopkins, where she researched the impact of maternal stress on the health service use of children with chronic illnesses.

For more information, visit the College Access and Beyond website.