PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES
Programs That Support Meaningful Lives
developing independence, creativity, and meaningful participation within their community.
TOZ DAY PROGRAM
TOZ’s full-time Day Program is guided by person-centered planning, empowering participants to build meaningful and self-determined lives. Each program is developed with the individual to reflect their strengths, interests, and personal goals.
Participants receive support through a range of activities designed to promote independence, confidence, and meaningful engagement in the community.
Supports include:
• Skills-building and daily living activities
• Community integration and inclusion
• Recreational and social development
• Educational and employment exploration
All individuals supported in the Day Program are referred through Disability Services, Government of Yukon.
Person-Centered Planning
TOZ is implementing a comprehensive person-centered planning approach in partnership with HSA Canada and LifeCourseOnline. This approach ensures that each individual’s support plan reflects their personal vision, strengths, and evolving needs.
Plans are developed around six core life domains:
• Daily Life & Employment
• Community Living
• Citizenship & Advocacy
• Healthy Living
• Social & Spirituality
• Safety & Security
Using tools such as life trajectory mapping, decision-making supports, and collaborative planning with families and support networks, TOZ works closely with individuals to create responsive plans that promote inclusion, independence, and meaningful outcomes.
ARTS AND INCLUSION
At Teegatha’Oh Zheh, the arts are a vital expression of identity, connection, and advocacy. Through our dedicated arts programming, we support emerging artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities in exploring their creativity, developing their practice, and contributing to Yukon’s vibrant cultural landscape.
What began as a commitment to inclusion has grown into a multi-faceted platform for storytelling, self-expression, and public engagement. Whether through visual arts, writing, music, dance, or performance, our artists challenge stereotypes, shape new narratives, and bring powerful, underrepresented voices into the spotlight.
Through the Advocacy Through Arts Initiative and the Teegatha’Oh Zheh Progressive Art Studio, we affirm that creativity is not only a right but is a vital force for inclusion, visibility, and change.
TEEGATHA’OH ZHEH PROGRESSIVE ART STUDIO (TOZPAS)
Established in 2023, the Teegatha’Oh Zheh Progressive Art Studio (TOZPAS) is Yukon’s first dedicated art studio for
artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. TOZPAS is more than a program,
it is a space for creative expression, mentorship, and belonging.
Artists at TOZPAS are supported in developing cohesive, long-term art practices grounded in creative integrity,
artistic exploration, and public engagement through exhibitions and collaborations.
The studio offers:
- Inclusive, purpose-built studio space
- Daily structured sessions and personalized mentorship
- Access to professional art materials and techniques
- Opportunities for solo and group exhibitions
- Artist-led workshops and skills training
- Support for career development and portfolio building
TOZPAS artists have exhibited work in the Yukon Government Permanent Art Collection, been featured in
public exhibitions, and received recognition in media outlets throughout the territory.
The studio plays a vital role in expanding Yukon’s arts landscape by fostering disability inclusion,
amplifying neurodiverse voices, and celebrating creativity as a powerful form of advocacy and connection.
Gallery and Featured Artists
Advocacy Through Arts Initiative
The TOZ Advocacy Through Arts Intitiative, launched in 2021 invites emerging artists with intellectual and, development disabilities to
share their voices and stories through a variety of creative forms including visual arts, writing, music, dance, and performance.
This initiative is grounded in self-expression and disability-led storytelling. It creates transformative opportunities for artists to explore identity, challenge social barriers, and engage with the public in powerful and personal ways.
Flagship projects include:
- Suitcase Stories: A curated gallery and performance event held at the Yukon Arts Centre.
- Draw Us In: A multimedia film trilogy premiered at the Tintina Air Hangar, blending animation and live performance.
- School Inclusion Residencies: Artist-led residencies in four Yukon schools that foster disability awareness and inclusive learning environments.
Through these creative platforms, TOZ artists build confidence, shift perceptions, and strengthen connections across community spaces. The initiative is a key component of TOZ’s mission to support full citizenship, offering new narratives that reflect the richness and diversity of lived experiences.
DIGNITY OF RISK
A life of dignity and meaning involves risk. In pursuing work, relationships, recreation, and personal aspirations, each of us steps into the unknown, accepting the possibility of failure, rejection, and uncertainty. These experiences, both successes and setbacks, play an essential role in shaping confidence, independence, and personal growth.
For individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, opportunities to take risks are often limited. Out of care and good intentions, those who support them may try to eliminate potential dangers or prevent the possibility of failure. While meant to protect, this approach can unintentionally remove valuable opportunities for learning, exploration, and self-discovery.
When risk is removed entirely, individuals may be denied the experiences that allow people to test their abilities, build resilience, and experience the satisfaction that comes from overcoming challenges. Growth occurs when people are given the space to try new things, learn from experience, and develop through meaningful participation in the world around them.
Dignity of risk does not mean encouraging unsafe behaviour or exposing individuals to harm. Instead, it recognizes that everyone has the right to make choices, take reasonable risks, and learn from the outcomes of those choices. With thoughtful support and guidance, individuals can explore new opportunities, discover their capabilities, and pursue goals that bring meaning and fulfillment to their lives.
By embracing dignity of risk, we affirm that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve the same opportunities for independence, personal growth, and participation in community life as anyone else.
Contact us
Working hours
Monday - Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday - 8:30am - 4:00pm
We are here
101 -301 Lambert Street
Whitehorse, Yukon
Phone - (867) 668-4471
Email: info@tozyukon.com