• Resource Guide Home
• Legislation and Policies
  • What Laws Might Apply?
  • Other Employment Laws
  • Roles & Responsibilities
  • Resources: Legislation
• Identification of Accommodations
  • Workplace Assessment
  • Types of Accommodations
  • Implementation
  • Resources: Programs
  • Resources: Funding
• Motor Impairments
  • Getting Around
  • Communicating
  • Reading or Writing
  • Managing Work and Time
  • Using a Computer
  • Working in the Lab or Field
  • Case Example
• Vision Impairments
  • Getting Around
  • Communicating
  • Reading or Writing
  • Managing Work and Time
  • Using a Computer
  • Working in the Lab or Field
  • Case Example
• Communication Difficulties
  • Getting Around
  • Communicating
  • Reading or Writing
  • Managing Work and Time
  • Using a Computer
  • Working in the Lab or Field
  • Case Example
• Cognitive Impairment
  • Getting Around
  • Communicating
  • Using a Computer
• Resources: Technical Assistance
• Research Findings

Module 3: Accommodations for Motor Impairments

Working in the Lab or Field

When educators work in the lab or in the field, they may be carrying out experiments or studies themselves (to test a procedure or to demonstrate to students), or they may be supervising their students in the performance of these activities. Educators must be able to access lab or field work areas, make observations, use measuring devices, and manipulate or control laboratory equipment. All of these tasks must be performed in a safe environment.

Educators with lower extremity impairments may need to sit while working, and they may face challenges getting up to and using work areas and equipment that were designed to be used by users who are standing. Lab stations may not have knee clearance areas. Taller equipment such as burettes may be difficult to reach.

Educators with upper extremity impairments may have difficulty handling or moving objects. These tasks involve reaching for, manipulating, gripping, and lifting and placing work materials. The materials may be small and require fine precision to grip between fingers; others may be large and heavy and require the use of both arms.

Accommodation options may include:

Lower Extremity:

• Rearrange furniture so that there is enough clearance to allow passage of a wheelchair.
  Workstation areas should have sufficient manneuvering space for people using wheelchairs or scooters.
• Provide an area where mobility aids can be stored.
  Some educators who are somewhat ambulatory may use a mobility aid to get to the classroom but not within it. They may need an area where they can transfer to a chair and a place to store the device.
• Provide a workstation with sufficient clearance to get up close.
  People who work from a wheelchair will require knee space beneath the work surface and may need a higher work surface if their chair seat is higher than a regular classroom chair. Height-adjustable work surfaces could be considered if multiple users will be using the same workspace.
• Lower equipment to eye level.
  Using burettes and monitoring information on gages, dials or displays may be easier if the objects are lowered to eye level of a person using a mobility device.
• Position work materials to minimize reach range and the need to reach up, reach behind, or bend down.
  Locate materials that are the most frequently used within closest reach. Make use of lateral storage techniques rather than vertical, such as replacing an upright 4-drawer file cabinet with a 2-drawer lateral file. A "lazy susan" type of surface can be used to move work closer to the worker, rather than the worker move to the work.
• Minimize the need to hold objects while using a mobility aid or device.
  Attach a lap tray, basket or carry bag to wheelchairs, walkers, etc. or use a backpack to help transport materials while keeping hands free to hold or operate the mobility device.
• Use carts to transport materials to avoid lifting and carrying.
  Carts can also provide walking support for people who normally use a mobility aid.

Upper Extremity:

• Position work materials to minimize reach range and the need to reach up, reach behind, or bend down.
  Locate materials that are the most frequently used within closest reach. Make use of lateral storage techniques rather than vertical, such as replacing an upright 4-drawer file cabinet with a 2-drawer lateral file. A "lazy susan" type of surface can be used to move work closer to the worker, rather than the worker move to the work.
• Use a reacher or similar tools to extend reach.
• Use dispensers, including possibly chemical dispensers, to avoid the need to lift and to minimize reach.
• Slide items into place between work surfaces to avoid lifting.
• Use jigs and funnels to help position or transfer materials precisely.
  Jigs with guide rails or funnels are frequently used for tasks ranging from folding a letter to transferring chemicals.
• Use carts to transport materials to avoid lifting and carrying.
• Use gripping aids (e.g., tweezers) to help grip small objects.
  Tweezers that require force to open rather than grip and hold may require less extended force.
• Make small objects larger to enable them to be held more comfortably.
  Foam, rubberized material, or various types of gripping aids might be used to make the object conform better to the grip of the hand.
• Add grips or levers to knobs to make them easier to turn.
  Knobs with levers may not require grip to turn.
• Add handles to larger materials to make them easier to grip.
• Use jigs and clamps to hold materials in place.
  For example, clamps might be used to hold a piece of equipment (e.g., thermometer) in place that would otherwise be held by hand. Clamps can also hold items in place while some type of manipulation takes place -- useful when a person is completing a task with one hand.
• Use equipment with digital controls.
  Digital keypad control may be easier to operate than analog control knobs.