The role of the environment in fostering independence: Conceptual and methodological issues in developing an instrument

Although rehabilitation professionals are increasingly aware that environments can support or interfere with an individual's ability to function, environmental factors are not emphasized in assessment and intervention planning across rehabilitation disciplines. Conceptual and methodological issues related to creating a measure for assessing the rehabilitation environment, in either institutional or home settings, as it relates to fostering an individual's independence are presented. Reflecting a multidimensional conceptual base, the Environment-Independence Interaction Scale has subscales for temporal, physical, social, and cultural dimensions of the environment. The measure is primarily intended for research in evaluating effects of various rehabilitation environments on selected outcomes.