GBS Mission

​Great Bay Services offers support to people with intellectual, developmental disabilities and autism, and their families. We enrich and enhance the lives of the people we serve and assist them in reaching their potential through comprehensive services which offer options and choices. We also initiate innovative ways to meet the changing needs of our clients to support self-determination and advocacy for those we serve.

"​Great Bay Services champions a world where people focus on and embrace others' abilities rather than their disabilities."

GBS Values

​. . . the people that we serve.

. . . the employees who provide our services.

. . . a safe and empowering environment.

. . . collaboration with families and our communities.

. . . integrity beyond reproach.

. . . continuous improvement and innovation.

. . . lifelong learning and enrichment.

. . . fiscal responsibility and accountability.

GBS History

On March 8, 1954 a group of parents met in Durham, NH to advocate for the needs of their children with developmental disabilities. Special education did not exist in schools. Families were told to send their loved ones to the state institutions instead. These intrepid parents formed their own school.

This was the first association in New Hampshire dedicated to children with intellectual disabilities. The group would go on to start the first special education classes in the state, play an instrumental part in closing the state institutions, and form a training center to provide employment for adults with disabilities.

​This association continued to adapt over time, including expanding into Maine in 2015, and changing to meet the needs of individuals of the region. More than sixty-five years later, it continues on as Great Bay Services.