Wheel house - not-for-profit society
About
The wheel house uses Occupational Therapy interventions and the humble bike (and other functional life-skills) as a conduit for Growth, Autonomy, and Employment. The Wheel House OT Programs support kids and teens with Occupational Therapy interventions to foster independent thinking & problem solving while increasing autonomy.
We are also a community-based bike collective that supports all individuals; regardless of ability, socio-economic status, gender identity, or ethnicity; within our Okanagan community to increase access to riding a bike, whether for recreation or transport.
The primary focus of the Wheel House will always include teaching kids, teens, and community members how to perform bike maintenance tasks on their own bikes. However, the various Wheel House OT Programs are custom designed to support new learning for kids and teens. Emphasizing the development of communication & social skills, problem solving abilities, team work, small business experience, and promoting an entrepreneurial mind-set that will build self-confidence and self-reliance for future success.
The Wheel House will include members of our local indigenous communities to develop workshops and programs designed with indigenous tradition and knowledge.
We will also work towards removing both the access issues (tools and the space) and financial barriers related to learning about and actually maintain a bicycle, with the overall goal of increased functional autonomy and quality of life.