Turning Dreams Into Reality

For video about Dr. Barber click here...
(produced courtesy of
WQLN Public Broadcasting).

Prior to 1952, community-based services for individuals with disabilities were virtually non-existent in Erie, Pennsylvania. Dr. Gertrude A. Barber, an administrator in the city's school district, answered the calling. She saw a need for a more integrated approach to providing individualized care for those with special needs. And her vision would change the landscape of modern care-giving forever. Armed with little more than a smile and a prayer, she founded the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber Center's non-profit organization dedicated solely to improving the lives of children and adults within the community.

Over the course of a half-century, the Barber Center staff would help make dreams come true for thousands of people with disabilities and their families. Today, the aptly renamed Barber National Institute continues to grow strong.

With the late Dr. Barber's vision leading the way, we're committed to combining the best research with training and education - resulting in the finest prescriptive programming in the nation.