Susan Magasi and Robin Jones receive a contract from the National Council on Disability

Susan Magasi and Robin Jones received a contract from the National Council on Disability to help lay a foundation for cost-effectiveness research on the use of accessible medical diagnostic equipment (MDE). OTD candidate Ricardo Ramirez and MS in OT student Hilary Marshall round out the UIC-based team.

Lack of accessible MDE, such as height-adjustable examination tables and wheelchair accessible weight scales, create barriers to health care access for the 54 million Americans with disabilities.  In January 2017, the United States Access Board finalized new standards for MDE. However, in January 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13771, which stipulates that no new federal regulations can be enacted unless they are able to document cost-neutrality. Consequently, the MDE Standards have not been widely endorsed.