Ruthie Robbins has invested years - and raised over $1 million - to secure her dream of a brighter, better life for her daughter Mandy, and five other young women with autism. As a result, Mandy's Special Farm stands today as a model of residential living and learning centers for women with disabilities in the United States. Here, Ruthie talks from the heart about the issues that only parents of special children can understand. ABOUT CARING FOR A SPECIAL CHILD WHEN YOU'RE NO LONGER HERE "Probably the greatest fear as a parent of a special child is not really knowing what their future is going to hold when you're not here. Because of that I started Mandy's Special Farm. Through our contributions and the contributions of others, we want this to go forward forever, for the girls that live here and ultimately the next generation of girls that need a safe, loving place to lead their lives productively." WHY YOU SHOULD TRUST YOUR DAUGHTER TO RUTHIE "Trusting me with your child is probably the most important thing you'll ever do, and it's a tremendous responsibility for me. What makes us different is that I am involved, every single day. I know every single person who works here personally. The promise I would make to you as a parent is that I expect our great staff, under every circumstance, to take care of whomever they're in charge of that day the same way I would take care of my daughter if she were in my home that day, which is to say, with love and compassion and understanding and encouragement." ABOUT QUALITY OF CARE "My commitment to quality is very high. This is my daughter's home for the next 50 or 60 or 70 years. We have licensed therapists. Our younger workers are each studying for careers in special education or related fields. We've designed this farm from day one to meet the needs of women with autism, without cutting one corner. You have my word as a mother that your child will receive the same kind of loving care that my child would receive, if she were in my house." A VARIETY OF ABILITIES ARE WELCOME "As you know, with people with autism, each one is very individual and their ways of learning things and doing things are very individual. We will accept and welcome a wide variety of abilities and skills, even those who need toileting skills. We believe that variety of skill levels is good and beneficial - what one lacks in ability another might have, and vice versa, and they can learn from each other." HER HOPES FOR MANDY'S SPECIAL FARM AND THE GIRLS WHO LIVE HERE "My hope is that Mandy and five others like her find a fulfilling, enjoyable life, doing the things they like to do, having something rewarding to do every day, helping them to become more self-sufficient, and for this place to endure as long as it needs to for their lifetime, and beyond. The goal and really the dream is that Mandy's Special Farm can provide that kind of living environment, seeing these girls into their old age and their death, so they can age together, go through the same processes together, and this will actually be their home, the same way you and I have a home."