By HFT Staff

The U.S. Access Board recently 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 medical diagnostic equipment, such as examination tables, weight scales, and imaging equipment, used by healthcare 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 Feb. 3, 2022, without further action, unless adverse comment is received by March 7, 2022. If the board receives timely adverse comments, it will publish a notification of withdrawal in the Federal Register.