Dutton Farm

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

Oops! Earlier today we misidentified the amazing folks in this photo as being from Chief Financial Credit Union. They're actually from Cornerstone Community Financial Credit Union! We LOVE our community partners and want to always give the appropriate recognition for their support of our mission. Our sincere apologies to both companies - each of which supports our mission. Thank you Cornerstone Community Financial Credit Union, for coming out to the farm this week and making a difference in the lives of adults with disabilities. We appreciate you!

We're honored to be selected as the beneficiary of Greg Grant Sportsplex's 4th annual golf outing! This year's outing promises to be bigger and better than ever, featuring exciting new on-course games, exciting raffles, a generous goodie bag, and much more! Saturday, August 3rd, 2024 Shotgun start at 9:00 AM Westwynd Golf Course, Oakland Township Please consider joining them in support of our mission. Head over to GregGrantGolf.com to register today! https://lnkd.in/gr-HU3nP

Mark your calendars for this annual event!

Thank you to everyone who came out and participated in our annual Driving Fore Dutton golf outing. We’re so grateful for the support of our community partners in the pursuit of our mission. Stay tuned for more pictures as they become available!