The development of an assessment which provides a practical application of the concept of the dark side of occupation for practitioners and students

To meet societal needs, assessments must capture the full range of clients’ occupational participation, yet occupational therapy practitioners are often unable to explore the dark side of occupational participation through evidence-based assessments. Thus, the Activity Card Sort-Advancing Inclusive Participation (ACS-AIP) was designed to explore the occupational participation of all occupations, including the dark side of occupation, through images minimally defined by gender, ethnicity, or environment. Here, I discuss the development of this assessment based on the unique occupational participation of the homeless population, as well as the translation science perspective that led to the development. I discuss the importance of trauma-informed care when addressing the dark side of occupation. Finally, I provide a case study demonstrating the use of the ACS-AIP.