How will our farm reflect the values of self determination?

Our project in Accord is one of the first of its kind to bring together self-determined individuals who choose to live on a farm together. Self determination with Budget and Employer Authority is the Medicaid Community-Based Waiver option offered to individuals through the Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) in the state of New York. In this project, the budget will stay within the control of the individuals themselves and their families. The farmers will choose their own hours to farm and they will all use their community to pursue their individual interests. The individual farmers will keep budget and employer authority and when they want to move.

Our farm demonstrates that Self Determination can be used by people who wish to come together to live because they share a common purpose while retaining their options to pursue individual interests.

SustainAbility Farm has moved to Accord!

Our farm in Accord, New York is thriving. We grow the food for our CSA customers - helping them to “Be well. Eat fresh!”. Our fabulous 45-acre property of fields and woodlands is already turning out to be a very productive agricultural location, but the possibilities that remain are endless. We would like to provide more opportunities for our farmers by starting up a small greenhouse and small animal operation as part of our business. To do so, we desperately need some equipment and we hope you can help.

DONATE

SustainAbility Services Celebrates Ability- individualized instruction for ALL farmers

At SustainAbility Services, we've learned how building skill sets and celebrating positive outcomes support a culture of productivity and reciprocity that benefits SustainAbility members and the greater community. We have had 4 years of experience of meeting people of all abilities and finding out how they can learn to farm- creating a way for them to realize a positive impact on their environment and begin to create a life’s work for themselves. We invite you to join us in our community classes next summer.