This isn't a startup story.
How one family's fight for answers turned into free tools for thousands.
I keep thinking back to how hard my family had to fight just to get answers for Ellie.
She was getting kicked out of daycare, and we didn’t understand why.
The first time we tried to get her diagnosed, we waited 6 months… only to be told that because she “made good eye contact,” she couldn’t have autism.
Without a diagnosis, we couldn’t get her into the programs she needed. And at the same time, she was considered too much of a liability for traditional daycare.
So we were just… stuck.
Now what?
Eventually, I learned you can get a second opinion. So we did. We finally got the diagnosis. But then came the next question… now what?
We were denied Medicaid, which we were told would cover services our insurance wouldn’t. It felt like being thrown into a storm with no direction.
The only guidance I could find was a program that walked you through the steps after a denial… for $1,500 out of pocket just to access the videos. Thankfully, we were able to make it work. And after following the process, we got Ellie approved for Medicaid and onto waivers that support her today.
But it shouldn’t be this hard.
Why I built this.
Parents are constantly left with “what now?” after a diagnosis. They either spend years trying to figure it out through trial and error, delaying access to critical services… or they’re forced to pay thousands just to learn what to do next.
I’m tired of parents having to fight this hard.
When I started my career in marketing, I always knew I wanted to make an impact. I wanted to do something that actually helped people, not just sell them a product. I’ve been so lucky to spend most of my career in healthcare marketing, and that work has meant so much to me.
But after Ellie’s diagnosis, something shifted.
I became incredibly passionate about autism… about the journey, the confusion, the “what do we do next?” moments. And more than anything, I wanted families to have access to the kind of guidance I wish we had.
That became my why.
I want Ellie to grow up knowing that she changed the world... because she completely changed mine.
From one app to three.
Autism Pathways was just the start.
So many of you have reached out over the past few months; parents, caregivers, and adults with disabilities themselves, asking the same thing: is there something like this for adults?
I heard you. And I could not stop thinking about it.
Because here is the truth. When a child with a disability turns 18, the system does not get easier. It gets harder. The paperwork gets longer. The waitlists get longer. The answers get harder to find.
So that is what I built. Adult Pathways is a navigation companion designed specifically for adults with disabilities and their aging caregivers. Housing that fits your life. Medicaid and waiver guidance that actually makes sense. Reminders so nothing slips through the cracks.
Independence should not depend on who you know or how long you can hold on the phone.
And then there’s Disability Pathways — everything I built for autism families, but for every disability. Cerebral palsy. Down syndrome. Epilepsy. Sensory processing. Dyslexia. Rare genetic conditions. Chronic illness. All of it.
Because the problem was never just autism. It was that no parent should have to figure this out alone, regardless of what their child’s diagnosis is.
This is for Ellie.
She’s the reason Autism Pathways exists.
She’s the reason I care so much about helping other families.
She’s the reason I couldn’t ignore this pull anymore.
This is for her. And for every family trying to figure it out along the way.
— Jessie Fielding, Founder