Recommendations on Standards for the Design of Medical Diagnostic Equipment for Adults with Disabilities, Advisory Committee Final Report

IMPLICATION OF A 19-INCH MINIMUM STANDARD FOR THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE LOWEST ADJUSTABLE POSITION

This minority report presents the factors that support a minimum standard of 19 inches as the highest point on the transfer surface in a table or chair’s lowest adjustable position. However, shorthand references to 19 inches as the minimum standard as used in this minority report should not be equated with a 19-inch transfer surface height, for two major reasons. First, as depicted in Figure 3, adjustable tables currently on the market generally feature contoured bolsters that provide greater security once an individual is seated or lying on the table or chair. A 19-inch standard means that any bolsters fit within the highest point standard, thereby making the front edge of the table/chair lower than the bolsters (by about ¾” based on currently marketed bolsters, or about 18 inches compressed at the transfer surface).

Second, as a minimum standard, establishing a 19-inch highest point standard does not mean that all newly manufactured tables and chairs will necessarily be fixed at a 19-inch height. Unlike fixed transfer surfaces such as toilets or non-adjustable tables, there is no reason to standardize at a single height based on broadest usability. In a marketplace of adjustable tables and chairs, increased range of adjustability will be advantageous to patients and caregivers alike. It is not unreasonable to expect that table and chair manufacturers will seek to compete by offering products with greater degrees of adjustability.

Figure 3. Illustration of measurement height at bolsters relative to lower transfer surface