Few options existed for people with disabilities before Noble was founded.

A fulfilling life for people with developmental disabilities was unthinkable before the 1950s. Instead, these individuals were hidden from the rest of the world, and their families had two options: institutionalize them or hide them at home. Our founding families chose a third option.
Indianapolis businessman Frank Scherrer and Rabbi Maurice Goldblatt, both parents of children with mental retardation, placed an ad in The Indianapolis Times inviting parents of children with disabilities to a meeting at the War Memorial Building. Hundreds came and made the unanimous decision to found Noble School.

In September of 1953, Noble School opened, and while these children were finally in a real school, older children and adults with developmental disabilities quickly demonstrated that they needed more than a classroom. Soon, a sheltered workshop was created to enable them to contribute to the workforce.

It still wasn't enough—families across the country wanted their children to go to school with the neighborhood kids. In 1973, Congress passed a law requiring public schools to provide an education for all school-age children.

Over the years, services moved into the community for both children and adults. With a growing number of adults in Noble's sheltered services wanting to join the workforce, Noble launched the state's first Supported Employment service in 1986, enabling hundreds to become skilled, dependable workers and taxpaying citizens. Supported Employment also makes good business sense for employers, who are tapping into the strengths of a loyal, diverse workforce.

In 2001, Noble launched Noble Communitas, a demonstration project that moved individuals from a life of segregation and limited choice to one directed by their hopes and dreams. This move was bolstered by the Center for Family Leadership, a parent-to-parent support network to provide families of children with disabilities with the resources and education to cope with daily challenges and help their children achieve their fullest potential.

In 2010, we launched Community Living residential services, our Behavioral Services and  Community Exploration, increasing the array of opportunities available to individuals and families to live more meaningful lives in our community. We also expanded the geographic scope of several of our services into Eastern Indiana.

Since 1953, Noble has forged a vision that each person has a gift to share and a contribution to make. Each accomplishment in our history set the stage for the next innovation, while the meeting of one need allowed Noble to focus on the next step. Today our ultimate goal is the full inclusion of people with disabilities in every aspect of community life.