The Bond Between Two Sisters Changes The Lives Of Adults With Special Needs At Dutton Farm

Southfield (CW50) - Jenny Brown was a student in Law School when she realized the bond between her and her sister was too strong to pursue any career that didn't provide the same opportunities to her sister Becca Smither, who has a Down syndrome diagnosis. Brown dropped out of Law School to start the nonprofit, Dutton Farm, with her mother in 2010.

Jenny Brown, CEO of Dutton Farm, joins Lisa Germani on Community Connect, to talk about the story of her and her sister, and how the creation of Dutton Farm has provided life-changing opportunities to so many individuals with special needs.

Dutton Farm was created to empower and support adults with disabilities, giving them the opportunity to live a life of purpose, inclusion, and dignity. The hope is to create a world where anyone can find such dignified inclusion in schools, workplaces, government, communities, churches, and beyond.

They internally employ adults with special needs to create and sell products made at the farm; providing them with an opportunity to learn new skills while learning the responsibilities of having a job.

Dutton Farm has several different programs aimed at achieving their inclusion goals. One of their focuses is on adult education and is specifically designed to provide guidance for adults with disabilities as they make meaningful life choices, such as engaging with others, training skills, or finding a career.

The other programs include workforce developement and community involvement. Workforce development consists of a team of people at Dutton Farm who help adults make a plan, determine suitable jobs, and identify job vacancies suitable for them. The community involvement program provides opportunities for the adult education participants to go into the community and become involved in activities that align with their individual learning goals.

To learn more, go to duttonfarm.org

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