TWENTY years ago, Bermuda saw fit to establish Summer Haven, a home for the island's physically challenged. Separate apartments facilitate independent living, each has a balcony offering views of the South Shore, and the rent is affordable to anyone in need.

As a facility it remains unparalleled ? a fitting memorial to the efforts of Lady Frances Ramsbotham and Sir Richard Gorham.

VERY night, 14 of the island's physically challenged are able to celebrate their independence, largely because two individuals had the foresight to establish Summer Haven. The purpose-built facility was created in 1984, the product of a vision of Frances Ramsbotham, wife of the island's former Governor, Sir Peter.

"Summer Haven started because she had a daughter who was disabled as a result of a diving accident and wanted to get involved in that area," explained Summer Haven administrator Ianthia Wade.

"What she found was that people who were disabled either lived at St. Brendan's or the Extended Care Unit (ECU) of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH). As the Governor's wife, she couldn't directly solicit funds so she decided to find someone to help her raise the money to build a place especially designed for people who were physically disabled."

The Governor shared what his wife wanted to accomplish with Sir Richard Gorham, a Bermudian philanthropist with a social conscience, well known for having successfully raised millions of dollars for charities.

Through Sir Richard's contacts, a 99-year rent-free lease was secured on Government property and the millions of dollars needed to build Summer Haven were raised from the private sector. By the time the first tenants took occupancy in March of 1984, the property was without debt. "The vision that Sir Richard and Lady Ramsbotham had was so far ahead of its time for a place like Bermuda," said Mrs. Wade. "Al Swain (a disability activist who recently visited the island) said the United States has nothing at this level.

"People from the United States do not expect a place for the disabled to have been built in such a splendid manner. Everybody has a porch that overlooks the water. They've got oil and watercolour paintings going down the hallway. They live in separate apartments. They have their own space ? very different from what they would have if they were living at (KEMH) or St. Brendan's.

"We don't consider it a nursing facility. They go to work. They go to school. They do community service. It was not designed as an institution. It was designed as a place where you or I could stay. When you become disabled, you first have to deal with your disability and you then have to deal with what you've lost ? your space.

"We want to give them the quality of life they deserve. At 35, 40 years old, most people don't want to live with someone they didn't pick as a roommate. So it's their space. They can decorate it in the way that they want. They can have company for as long they want. And they can come and go as they want."

are 14 separate units in the Summer Haven compound. Its residents suffer from disabilities gained at birth, through illness and through accident. Each has a varying level of movement ? there are paraplegics with limited mobility, quadriplegics with none.

"We provide 24-hour attendant care. It allows the individuals to go on with their lives but also to have someone there to dress them, bathe them, and do whatever's necessary in catering to their needs," the administrator said.

"We have individuals who have been here since we opened 20 years ago. We've had some people come temporarily ? persons who may have had strokes and need to learn how to manage with their disability.

"We're normally full and we don't keep a waiting list. The reason for that is that we might have an empty (apartment), but suppose the person who wants to move in is a quadriplegic and we already have four ? the maximum we can manage.

"So what happens, if a bed becomes empty, is that we evaluate who we have before we determine who we can take. Basically, I have people's information on file and if there is space that is suitable, then I say we have a position for you."

The facility costs around $500,000 a year to operate, the majority of which is received from Government. The difference is collected through donations and an annual stipend from the Bermuda Hospitals Board ? payment for housing three quadriplegics who would otherwise reside at the ECU.

"We get an operating grant from Government and residents pay according to their ability. For most, the challenges are financial. They're on limited incomes and they're responsible for everything that you or I would be ? getting the groceries, dealing with the telephone bill, things like that. "Transportation is difficult because of accessibility and affordability. Finding a job is also difficult for many young men ? those (born with disabilities) were in segregated or limited education; those who had an accident at a young age often don't go back to school ? our young, black men especially as they were doing physical things."

A dedicated staff helps the residents lead normal lives. According to Mrs. Wade, two employees cover each of three shifts ? morning, evening and night. And she herself is kept on 24-hour call for those rare moments when a staff member is unable to stick to the schedule.

"Fortunately I have a very committed group," she explained. "Some of them have been here since (Summer Haven) started; others 15, 17 years. These are people who are committed to the programme, people who are committed to the residents ? which makes it run very smoothly."

Essential to the mix are those on night duty, called on to turn residents every few hours to ensure their circulation remains constant.

"At night, when you're lying in bed, you move. When your foot falls asleep, even in your sleep, you move because there's not enough blood circulating. When you're paralysed you can't move. They have to be turned from their back to their sides every three hours so that they don't end up with pressure sores."

There are many success stories in the Summer Haven community, Mrs. Wade said. However, what the general public often constitutes as a success is not the only type of achievement the charity recognises.

Obvious accomplishments include those of Troy Landy, a resident now lauded for his painting skills by many in the community including current Governor's wife Lady Vereker and celebrated artist Sheilagh Head. Another recognised success is Eric Smith. A former resident, his competence with computers landed him a position with re-insurance giant XL. Since then, he has married, fathered two children, and moved out of the Smith's Parish community into his own home.

A current resident, Claire Ann Moore, has written her autobiography and intends to return to school to become a marriage counsellor; John Smith has been employed with the Department of Education for 20 years. Though paralysed, he learned to drive and bought a hand-controlled car to ensure his independence.

"But for some of the other residents, just the ability to dress themselves has meant overcoming a very big obstacle," said Mrs. Wade. "In this community, we still get caught up in the success stories, the . You get in an accident and you walk away from it after surgery. What many people don't realise is that took 500 people and from that group, selected the five people most likely to succeed. Some of our residents leave the island (for rehabilitation). What they master is the ability to feed themselves; to be able to write. And when they come home, all people say to them is, 'Is that all you can do?'

"But for some people, people with a spinal cord injury, say, that may be as far as they can go. For them, that's a very major thing. But (the public) looks at who can draw, who can do the bigger things. For some people, to be able to feed themselves having been in an accident, that is very, very major.

"So it's important for us to identify the major things that may seem smaller to us, but to the people at Summer Haven who have been able to persevere and master them, it's (an accomplishment) that has given them just that fraction of an inch more of independence. What is special, what is an accomplishment, is getting up every day knowing you can't walk, knowing you can't bathe yourself, but having the strength of mind to go on, to keep a good attitude, and to look forward to the next day. To still want to live even though God has put this (disability) on your plate to deal with. That is probably, for me, the greatest thing that I've learned down here."

Part of her Summer Haven experience has involved introducing young students to its residents, Mrs. Wade says. Not only does it promote tolerance and understanding, but it teaches children the importance of keeping themselves out of harm's way.

"They meet the residents in a group and then talk to them individually to find out more about disabilities," she explained. "You look at a person in a wheelchair and all you think is that person can't walk. You don't (necessarily) realise they can't go to the bathroom. They can't bathe themselves. They might not be able to feed themselves. They can't get in and out of bed.

"There's a lot of other things aside from walking and dancing ? there are so many other challenges that they face. When (students) leave here, they have a better understanding of what a disability is and what it means to have one. They have a greater sensitivity. They won't just stare at somebody in a wheelchair. They know that this person is a whole person; that they think and breathe and have feelings.

"We also hope it helps them to understand why it's important that they don't put themselves in harm's way. We hope that it keeps them from riding recklessly; from doing things carelessly. We always think, 'It's not going to happen to me', but it happened to everybody down here."

island has come a long way in making life easier for those who are wheelchair-bound, but it still has a way to go, Mrs. Wade says. A simple solution would see more programmes like Summer Haven in existence.

"It is difficult. Getting to a public bathroom. Getting up the sidewalk. The buses aren't accessible. We have taxis here which are accessible but they cost the same price for you as they do a person in a wheelchair. The difference is you have a job. Most of them don't. So even if taxis are accessible physically, they're not accessible financially. There are so many challenges.

"I look at Summer Haven and say it's a fabulous place but there's only one. If you were disabled and lived in Somerset, you might come and say it's a nice place, but all your relatives are in Somerset. How often are they going to be able to come down and see you?

"So if we're talking about really meeting the need per se, there should be a place like Summer Haven in Somerset ? maybe a satellite place ? so that friends and relatives can come to you. So you can be a part of their lives as opposed to just coming down and visiting."