Overview
Two major quantitative instruments were revised and validated as part of the National Camp Evaluation Project (NCEP), a 1993-96 federally funded research investigation conducted nationwide (14 states) to determine the effects of residential camp programs on the performance of campers with disabilities. These two instruments are the Adaptive Behavior Scales for the Disabled (ABSD), which measures changes in affective behavior (socio-emotional) and the Outdoor Skills Inventory (OSI), which measures changes in levels of independence in outdoor recreation/living skills. Both validity and reliability were established for the two instruments. The sample population for the validation part of the study consisted of individuals with mild to severe disabilities, ages 7-21, who attended the Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp in Oregon during the summers of 1993 and 1994. This abstract summarizes the overall validation results for each of the two instruments and provides justification to support their use in outdoor programs to assess the affective and skill growth of participants with disabilities.

Description of Instruments
The ABSD is an instrument developed by the first author to evaluate growth in positive affect (i.e., desired socio-emotional characteristics) of children, youth, and young adults with disabilities (Brannan, 1991). The instrument is a 50 item rating scale designed to assess the affective growth of campers with mild to severe disabling conditions served in residential camps and related outdoor programs. The ABSD has six sub-scales: social, communication, domestic responsibility, independence, self-esteem, and recreation interest. The instrument is intended for use with parents or caregivers as respondents who, from their perspective, evaluate the impact (i.e., generalization) of residential outdoor programming on their child. The OSI, developed by the first author, is designed to evaluate skill achievement (i.e., level of independence) of campers (or students) with disabilities attending residential camp, outdoor education, and outdoor recreation programs. The OSI consists of 12 subscales that measure skill achievements in curriculum domains germane to residential outdoor programs (i.e., personal/social, self-help, nature/environmental, overnight camping, fitness/hiking, boating, swimming, fishing, music/drama/arts, horses, ropes/challenge, sports/games). The items for each subscale or domain are designed to measure the objectives of instruction for the camp or related outdoor program.

ABSD Results
As described below, the ABSD was found to have acceptable reliability and validity levels for measuring affective behaviors. Internal Consistency Reliability -The internal consistency for the total scale was found to be .96, approximating the same level established earlier in a regional study reported by Brannan, Miner, and Karr ( 1991). Test-Retest Reliability-Parents rated the campers twice over a two-week period of time with the ABSD. Test-retest reliability for the total ABSD was found to be .80. Inter-Rater Reliability-A comparison was conducted between the two parents' (mom vs dad) ratings of their child on the ABSD. The inter-rater reliability for the total ABSD was found to be .65. Concurrent Validity- Concurrent validity was conducted by comparing parents scores on the ABSD with their scores on corresponding areas of the AAMR's Adaptive Behavior Scale (ABS-2). Moderate correlations, i.e., .60, considered acceptable for measuring affective behaviors, were found between the ABSD and the ABS-2. Criterion-Related Validity-Parent ratings of their child (camper) on the ABSD were compared with special education teacher ratings of the camper (their student) on a survey of related personal/social behaviors. Moderate correlations were found between the ABSD parent ratings and the teacher survey ratings. Content Validity-Preliminary efforts to establish content validity were conducted by Miner (1991) and finalized for the NCEP in 1993-94 by a national "panel of experts" with expertise in the the areas of special education administration, camp administration, psychological testing, research and evaluation, and statistical analysis. The expert review of the ABSD by these professionals resulted in only minor modifications to the instrument.

OSI Results
As follows, the OSI was found to have acceptable levels of reliability and validity for measuring outdoor skills. Internal Consistency Reliability-The internal consistency was found to be .97 for the Personal/Social scale and .98 for the Self-Help Scale of the OSI. These two scales were used with all subjects because the great majority of campers could be assessed on skills related to each of these areas. The other scales were used more selectively with subjects because opportunities to participate in certain recreation activities and achieve the related skills varied from camp to camp. The internal consistency for the remaining 10 scales ranged from .84 to .98. Test-Retest Reliability- In order to determine the consistency of their measures, counselors rated their campers twice on the OSI, once at the end of their camper's one-week camp session and again after a three-day interval. Test-retest reliability was found to be .96. Inter-Rater Reliability - Pairs of counselors independently rated the same camper on the OSI and comparisons were made between the ratings (counselor 1 vs counselor 2). The inter-rater reliability for the total OSI was found to be .80. Criterion-Related Validity -Counselor ratings of their camper on the OSI were compared with special education teacher ratings of the camper (their student) on a survey of related recreation/leisure skills. Moderate correlations were found between the OSI counselor ratings and the teacher survey ratings. Content Validity - Previously developed for Oregon's Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp Program, the OSI items and rating system were further refined in 1993-94 by a national "panel of experts" representing the fields of camping, therapeutic recreation, special education, outdoor recreation, and environmental education. The expert review resulted in added content, improved wording of certain items, and a more definitive rating system.

Conclusion
The ABSD and OSI have been empirically validated for use in residential camping and related outdoor programs. The extensive efforts to develop these instruments over a number of years, coupled with their recent successful testing and utilization nationwide, have produced two excellent tools for measuring participant growth in such programs. The ABSD and the OSI are designed to evaluate the effects of outdoor programming on the affective and recreation skill performance of persons (ages 7-21) with varying disabling conditions. The instruments should be especially useful to camping, outdoor recreation, and environmental education administrators and instructors using program evaluation data to guide and support their efforts. The ABSD and OSI have been largely validated and utilized in specialized residential camp programs, but they should also be considered for use in inclusive outdoor programs (i.e., programs serving persons with and without disabilities).

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