Lebanese author, Kahlil Gibran, once wrote `work is love made visible'.

However for many of us, work is a necessary evil -- the one thing we loathe but must do to satisfy our materialistic hungers.

Just the thought of an alarm clock ringing in the early hours of the morning, meetings and endless deadlines is enough to prompt even the most devoted employee to dream of early retirement and sunny days at the beach.

Yet for some, work is a chance to prove one's self worth and make a visible contribution to the community.

These individuals look forward to putting in a hard day's work and relish the opportunity to challenge themselves on a worthwhile project.

Juliette Basden, activities co-or dinator of the New Dimensions Learning Disability Centre at St. Brendan's Hospital, said she knew dozens of individuals who viewed work as a one of life's simple pleasures.

And for the last 12 months, Ms Basden has been trying to raise local awareness that those with disabilities, whatever they might be, were capable of working hard just like anyone else.

One of the goals of the New Dimensions Disability Centre has been to get their clients into sheltered work situations where they could gain valuable life skills.

The centre, which boasts arts, movie and sensory rooms, has also provided its clients with a wide variety of extra-curricular activities.

"We have a client population of about 60 who visit the centre throughout the day,'' Ms Basden explained.

"We also have day clients that consist of about 12 to 14 people.'' And she said that any firms looking for a few good men, and women, should keep an open mind and give the centre a call.

"We are looking to place all 60 clients,'' she said. "The clients' disabilities range from severe to mild learning disabilities. Ideally we would like for them to work for half the day.

"We canvassed the businesses in the Devonshire area looking for low-skilled tasks that our clients could perform,'' she explained. "In September we got a contract with Bermuda Creamery to do their labels. But during the winter months the work dwindled.'' In January, Bermuda TB Cancer and Health signed up with the programme and education director Dorothy Morgan-Swan said the arrangement has been a win-win situation for all involved.

"When we get new supplies in, our worker comes in and folds pamphlets, t-shirts, stuffs envelopes and fills bags,'' she explained. "It helps him feel like he is contributing something to the community and we get work done.

"Its nice to know that both of us are benefiting from it.

"He is a big help, I would definitely advise other firms to take on a worker,'' she added. "They can be very beneficial to an organisation if you have massive photocopying or anything like that.'' However, the pair were quick to remind firms that special considerations had to be taken into account when signing up with the programme.

Ms Basden pointed out that not all of their clients were able to go out into a work-environment and that they needed flexible time constraints.

"Some of our clients are wheel-chair bound so it would be great if the work could come to the centre, that way we could set the task up and get the clients positioned in a comfortable manner to get the work completed,'' she explained. "They would also need to be given time to complete the task. You couldn't come in and say you wanted something done yesterday.

"We don't have the staff to take them all out into the community to work,'' she added. "But we will make some exceptions, for example we do have one client that goes to Pure Water to stack bottles and a staff member accompanies him there.'' Ms Basden said simple tasks or work that can be broken down and assigned to several people who could work in an assembly fashion, were ideal for the New Dimensions Learning Disability Centre.

"Stuffing envelopes, labelling, photocopying are all things they can do,'' she said.

"We try to link up the work to the client's capability and talents. A lot of the things will be trial and error, all we need is companies to give us a chance.'' And she wanted the business community to know that the opportunity to work would not be limited to just the disabled.

"We do have people from extended and acute care, geriatric and rehabilitation services that could take part,'' she explained.

The Centre, which offers its clients the chance to enjoy a variety of life's simple pleasures, also offers organisations a variety of unconventional means of payment.

"Bermuda Creamery have set up an account where they pay by the hour and TB Cancer and Health reward us with funds for a special outing or event. It depends on the tasks involved and how long the clients are working.

"Money is not always valued by some of the clients, so we are thinking of setting up a tuck shop at the centre where they can go and pick out gifts. The gifts would act as an incentive, in addition to the monetary benefits, because not all of them understand the concept of money but they do understand gifts.'' Ms Basden added: "We are also trying to get them to go on a vacation just like any other normal person, so another avenue of payment could be the donation of an airplane ticket.

"Its flexible, every firm can pay a different way, we'll work something out.'' TB Cancer and Health's Mrs. Morgan-Swan noted: "Us being a charity, we really couldn't afford a salary position. Its good to see that one charity can help another.'' Anyone interested in obtaining more information about the programme can call 236-3770 ext. 3380 or 3213.

Task oriented: Garfield Parker puts in a solid day under the New Dimensions Learning Disability centre's programme.

Photos by Arthur Bean Their daily bread: Craig Dickens (from left), Winifred Tacklyn and Leroy Flood pull envelope duty, one of the many examples of work carried out by clients of the New Dimensions programme. The service pairs willing workers from St.

Brendan's Hospital with employers in need of extra help.