Dutton Farm

In a continuation of our celebration of Disability Pride Month, we turn our focus to the color red in the The Disability Pride flag, representing physical disabilities. In the US, 1 in 4 individuals lives with a disability, and 12.1% of those have a physical disability. Here is the story of Alexandra Hopkins, as told by her father, Neal Hopkins: Alexandra is 32 years old. She was born healthy but a virus at 19 days old left scarring on the neuromuscular center of her brain, which greatly impacted all her motor skills. She has been in a wheelchair ever since and has little control of her extremities and is also non-verbal as a result. The blessing of having had this occur after birth is that Alex is cognitively quite normal as well as having her eyesight and hearing fully developed. Aside from the obvious challenges of being wheelchair-bound, the greatest obstacle to inclusion for Alex has been communication. Being cognitively normal and unable to verbally express herself has created great difficulties. Alex can nod “yes” and “no” to questions and has an uncanny ability to communicate her thoughts through leading by eye gaze and expression. This works great for family and those who get to know her intimately but takes time and is a real roadblock to strangers and those who don’t know her well. To those who get to know her, she can express complex conversation and abstract thoughts that amaze those who don’t know her. In the past, she has worked with communication technology that is truly impressive. She has used, an “eye gaze “system that tracks her eyes as she navigates a program on a computer screen that allows her to select letters to spell or connect her to Internet sites. It has some real benefits, but for Alex, it is still quite cumbersome and slow to express thoughts and it just can’t keep up with her ability to express herself non-verbally. So, while mobility and physical use of her extremities have impacted Alex‘s ability to be included, her lack of verbal communication has been the greatest obstacle. Alex‘s journey of overcoming these obstacles has been aided through disability programs in the Rochester school system, and now most effectively through the Dutton Farm program. She has been able to receive one-on-one assistance and through an iPad, and the dedication of staff to get to know and understand her ability to nonverbally direct and lead conversation, she has had her outside world opened up. Alex is an extremely social person, and what a small world would she be living in if not for the Dutton Farm program and staff. Instead of being isolated, she thrives on the interaction with her friends and staff. She looks forward to every day she is there, and we and she can’t imagine anything more inclusive and rewarding. Help us achieve our mission of empowering and supporting adults with disabilities, make a donation today!

🌿🌼 Thank you LogicalisUS volunteers! Your hard work in the gardens helps our farmers grow the veggies we sell at our #FarmersMarket. We appreciate your dedication and green thumbs! 🌻💚 #DuttonFarm #VolunteerAppreciation #GreenThumbs

Spring’s hard work has turned into summer’s rewards! Zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, and spinach are part of our Farmers Market Friday offerings today from 10am - 2pm. Jimmy loves helping prep the vegetables for sale. #DuttonFarm #FarmersMarket #Fresh

Fresh veggies and flower bouquets - perfect for your dinner table this weekend! Stop by and see us Friday, 7/12 between 10am and 2pm. #DuttonFarm #FarmersMarket #Fresh

In honor of Disability Pride Month, we are sharing the testimonies and stories of our participants, highlighting each color of the Disability Pride flag and how it reflects their journey through life. In the following narrative, written by Veronica’s mother Lori Randolph, you will discover how self-determination has changed Veronica's life. Self-Determination The process in which a person controls their own life. Read that again.  Wow, such a simple yet complex thing that we do thousands of times a day. Some very simple tasks, and some much more complex. But for most of us we go about our day making decisions for that moment, for later in the day, for the next day, next week and next year. How would your life be if every single one of those times, those decisions were made FOR you? Yet in the world of individuals with multiple different needs, the choices are made for them hundreds of times a day. Self-determination, the process in which a person controls their own life.... What has self-determination meant to Veronica and her circle of supports?  Have you chosen your own friends? Or are you able to spend your leisure time with individuals of your own choice? Veronica has been able to hire her own support staff through self-determination. She does not have to depend on an agency that has a gap position to fill, and then does so with an individual that doesn’t come close to meeting any of Veronica's social, emotional, physical or safety needs. Because Veronica has been able to hire her own support staff she has formed many life-long, meaningful friendships, like most of us. Veronica has been in several caregivers' weddings as part of the bridal party because of the people she was able to choose to be in her life. The people she was able to decide were right for her. Think about your career, vocational education, and your community. What were, and are your options in choosing to participate or not? Because of self-determination Veronica is able to voice and express her choices and concerns. Veronica is able to determine on a vocational program she feels is best for her. And we (her village) are grateful and confident in her choice of Dutton Farm, a vocational program that allows Veronica to consistently use "her process of controlling her own life through her own choices". These choices are fostered daily at Dutton Farm through friendships made of Veronica's choosing, community outings that Veronica decides to participate in for the day, program responsibilities (the rabbits are her favorite) and currently the newer art program Veronica is attending because "Veronica expressed a desire to participate".  Self-determination, the process of controlling one's own life..... Without self-determination Veronica would be living the life others have chosen for her, by individuals she has never even met...... Lori and Veronica Randolph. Please donate to support Dutton Farm, ensuring self-determined outcomes for people with disabilities.

🎉 A Huge Thank You to Our Amazing Community Partner Molex! 🎉 We are deeply grateful to Molex for choosing Dutton Farm as the beneficiary of the funds raised during their golf outing yesterday! Your incredible generosity and support mean the world to us. These funds will directly contribute to advancing our mission, supporting our participants, and making a positive impact in our community. Together, we are creating opportunities and changing lives! Thank you for believing in our cause and for your unwavering commitment to making a difference. With heartfelt appreciation, The Dutton Farm Team 💚 P.S. Congratulations to Dutton Farm Board Member Thomas DeAgostino on his hole-in-one!! #CommunitySupport #DuttonFarm #MakingADifference

We celebrated independence a little differently here at the farm yesterday. Andrew proudly announced to everyone that he now uses public transportation for traveling between the farm and home, thanks to Oakland Transit. His enthusiasm for achieving this new level of independence was infectious, and we all gathered to celebrate with him as he departed. A special thank you to his bus driver, Dave, for embracing the spotlight and joining in the fun! Individuals with disabilities frequently face barriers to their communities due to lack of accessible transportation. We're incredibly happy for Andrew! #DuttonFarm #Transportation #DisabilityPride

Gordy, Bri, and Shane would like to remind everyone that Dutton Farm is closed on July 4th and July 5th in recognition of the 4th of July holiday. We'll see you again on Monday, July 8th!

July is Disability Pride Month, commemorating the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. Disability Pride began as a day of celebration that year and was first officially celebrated as a month in July 2015. The original Disability Pride Flag, created in 2019 by writer Ann Magill, featured brightly colored zigzag stripes over a black background, symbolizing the barriers faced by people with disabilities. However, due to visual triggers for some individuals, Magill revised the design to feature more muted colors, straightened stripes, and a reordered palette to accommodate those with red-green colorblindness.   Each color stripe on the flag as meaning: Red: Physical disabilities. Gold: Neurodiversity. White: Invisible disabilities and disabilities that haven’t been diagnosed. Blue: Emotional and psychiatric disabilities, including mental illness, anxiety and depression. Green: Sensory disabilities including deafness, blindness, lack of smell, lack of taste, audio processing disorder, and all other sensory disabilities. The faded black background represents mourning and rage for victims of ableist violence and abuse. The diagonal band cuts across the walls and barriers that separate the disabled from society, also representing light and creativity cutting through the darkness. Throughout the month we'll be sharing stories from our participant families highlighting self-advocacy, strength, and resilience. We invite you to follow along and share your story or make a donation in support of our advocacy efforts. https://lnkd.in/gR6t7Wae #DuttonFarm #DisabilityPride