Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) plans to hold its regular committee and Board meetings in Washington, DC, Monday through Wednesday, January 7-9, 2013 on the times and location listed below.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) plans to request approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of a new information collection. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing opportunity for public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public comment on this notice, and publishing a second notice requesting public comments for an additional 30 days, we plan to submit an information collection request package to OMB and request approval for three years.

The Medical Diagnostic Equipment Accessibility Standards Advisory Committee (Committee) will hold its second meeting. On July 5, 2012, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) established an advisory committee to make recommendations to the Board on matters associated with comments received and responses to questions included in a previously published Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Medical Diagnostic Equipment Accessibility Standards.

The Medical Diagnostic Equipment Accessibility Standards Advisory Committee (Committee) will hold its first meeting on September 27 and 28, 2012.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) is holding a public information meeting in Washington, DC on September 19, 2012 on the pending rulemaking to revise and update its accessibility guidelines for buses, over-the-road buses, and vans. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss issues related to the design and slope of bus ramps and the space needed at the top of ramps by individuals who use wheeled mobility devices to access the fare collection device and to turn into the main aisle. The Access Board is also reopening the comment period on the rulemaking.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) has decided to establish an advisory committee to assist on matters associated with comments received and responses to questions included in a previously published Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Medical Diagnostic Equipment Accessibility Standards.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) proposes to amend the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility Guidelines to specifically address emergency transportable housing units that are provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other entities on a temporary site in response to an emergency need for temporary housing. The proposed amendments seek to ensure that newly constructed and altered emergency transportable housing units covered by the ADA or ABA are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. Other federal agencies are required to issue enforceable accessibility standards for the construction and alteration of facilities covered by the ADA or ABA that are consistent with the ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines. When the other federal agencies amend their accessibility standards to be consistent with the proposed amendments to the ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines, newly constructed and altered emergency transportable housing units covered by the ADA or ABA would be required to comply with the accessibility standards as amended.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board submits the following agenda of proposed regulatory activities which may be conducted by the Agency during the next 12 months. This regulatory agenda may be revised by the Agency during the coming months as a result of action taken by the Board.

The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) is proposing accessibility standards for medical diagnostic equipment. The proposed standards contain minimum technical criteria to ensure that medical diagnostic equipment, including examination tables, examination chairs, weight scales, mammography equipment, and other imaging equipment used by health care providers for diagnostic purposes are accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. The standards will allow independent entry to, use of, and exit from the equipment by individuals with disabilities to the maximum extent possible. The standards do not impose any mandatory requirements on health care providers or medical device manufacturers. However, other agencies, referred to as an enforcing authority in the standards, may issue regulations or adopt policies that require health care providers subject to their jurisdiction to acquire accessible medical diagnostic equipment that conforms to the standards.