Home Environmental Scale of Accessibility

The Home Environmental Scale of Accessibility is a structured assessment instrument developed to evaluate horizontal accessibility within residential environments. It assesses home accessibility based on limitations in activity and participation restriction of the evaluated person as per the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health rather than on a diagnosis, making it applicable to a wide range of groups. The final instrument contains approximately 85 items organized into five areas covering the living room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and environmental elements that apply across multiple areas of the home. It evaluates whether the arrangement, dimensions, fixtures, furnishings, circulation spaces, and other physical characteristics of the home support safe and independent activity performance.

The Home Environmental Scale of Accessibility is potentially applicable to adults with mobility limitations, physical disabilities, sensory impairments, neurological conditions or progressive functional decline. The scale is useful as an initial accessibility scale. It has adequate validity indices, making it appropriate for use by occupational therapists and other social-health professionals.