Dr. Gertrude Barber (1911-2000)

Gertrude Barber lived at the forefront of her field.
She founded what is now the Barber National Institute in the early 1950s to help disabled children receive education and support -- an idea many at that time opposed.
"She dreamed dreams that, at that era, were not thinkable," said Maureen Barber-Carey, the executive vice president of the institute and Gertrude Barber's niece.
Today, the institute provides services from preschool to job training.
Throughout Barber's career, she "was never satisfied with the status quo," said Erie City Councilman Joe Schember. His 22-year-old daughter, Jodi, who has Down syndrome and is autistic, has been involved in programs at the institute for most of her life.
He said Barber was ahead of her field in devoting resources to autism, now a chief focus of the institute.
"She was definitely in the forefront of the nation in recognizing that there's something going on here that we need to address," Schember said.
Barber's motivation came from years as an Erie School District administrator telling parents of disabled children that their children had no place in school, Barber-Carey said. "She shuddered every time she had to do that."

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Erie
• Hall
• of
• Fame

[EriePennsylvania]

Such a caring soul