Public comments due Monday, July 24, 2023.
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Medical diagnostic care is essential to everyone, including people with disabilities. Using this equipment often requires people to transfer, such as onto examination tables and chairs, for evaluation. Historically, medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) has been, and continues to be, inaccessible to many people who use wheelchairs, which can lead to misdiagnosis or barriers to basic care and examinations.
The U.S. Access Board has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on standards for accessible MDE regarding one provision on the low transfer surface height for certain types of MDE used by patients in a supine, prone, side-lying, or seated position.
The U.S. Access Board is an independent federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in accessible design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards. It also provides technical assistance and training on these requirements and on accessible design and continues to enforce accessibility standards that apply to federally funded facilities under the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (ABA).