U.S. Access Board Publishes Direct Final Rule on Standards for Medical Diagnostic Equipment
The U.S. Access Board released a direct final rule related to its standards for accessible medical diagnostic equipment (MDE) covered by Section 510 of the Rehabilitation Act. The MDE Standards, originally published in 2017, established minimum technical criteria to ensure that medical diagnostic equipment, such as examination tables, weight scales, and imaging equipment, used by health care providers is accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.
The 2017 standards included “sunset provisions” related to the low height specifications for transfer surfaces. Those provisions expired in early 2022, and the direct final rule extends them for an additional three years. This extension will provide the Board the time to complete necessary research to determine the appropriate, final specification for the low transfer height position. The rule is available in the Federal Register.
This rule is effective February 3, 2022, without further action, unless adverse comment is received by March 7, 2022. If timely adverse comment is received, the Access Board will publish a notification of withdrawal in the Federal Register. Individuals may submit comments to the Board via any of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: Regulations.gov
- Email: docket@access-board.gov. Include docket number ATBCB-2021-0002 in the subject line of the message.
- Mail:
Office of General Counsel
U.S. Access Board
1331 F Street NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004-1111
For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received, go to www.regulations.gov/docket/ATBCB-2022-0002. For further information, contact Wendy Marshall at marshall@access-board.gov or 1-202-272-0043.