The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Medical Instrumentation at Marquette University in Milwaukee, funded by NIDRR, is conducting a survey as part of a major project to increase accessibility of medical equipment.

Consumers with all kinds of disabilities are being asked to complete the survey about barriers to health care that are created by inaccessible equipment.

The Center will share the findings from these surveys with Independent Living Research Utilization Program (ILRU) who will distribute them. We will publish the results on the website when they become available.

The survey will identify what types of medical equipment people with disabilities have found difficult to use and what changes are needed to make them easier for people to use. The Rehabilitation Engineers are looking specifically at four categories of medical equipment:

Diagnostic Equipment:

• Monitoring - such as thermometer, blood pressure cuff, cardiac stress test
• Imaging - such as X-ray, MRI, mammogram, ultrasound equipment

Procedural Equipment:

• Furniture/fixtures - such as tables, chairs
• Manual Tools - such as defibrillators, dental drills

Therapeutic Equipment:

• Drug Therapy - such as syringes, infusion pumps, ventilators
• Physical Therapy - such as rehabilitation or exercise equipment

Assistive Technologies (used either as or with medical equipment):

Mobility/Posture/Manipulation - such as wheelchair, brace, reachers

Sensory/Communication/Cognition - such as hearing aid, speech aid, personal

digital assistant (PDA)

Volunteers wanting to participate in the survey have a choice of several ways to take part:

1. Online on the Internet, go to http://www.rerc-ami.org/personal/starter.htm

2. On a computer, download from http://www.rerc-ami.org/personal/starter.htm

3. On paper, download from http://www.rerc-ami.org/personal/starter.htm

4. By email at info@rerc-ami.org

5. By telephone/TTY at (800) 832-0524 (Volunteers taking part in the survey by telephone are asked to contact staff at info@rerc-ami.org or call (800) 832-0524 to set up a time.)

6. By mail at RERC-AMI, c/o CDIHP Western University of

Health Sciences, 309 E. 2nd Street, Pomona, CA 91766-1854.

For additional information visit RERC on Accessible Medical Instrumentation, http://www.rerc-ami.org, or contact Jack Winters, Director, jack.winters@marquette.edu or Molly Story, Co-Director, molly@humanspectrumdesign.com.