Height of computer desk for wheelchair access?

[Bob Weisner]

What would be the proper height for a computer desk for a person that uses an electric wheelchair?

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Bob,

Unfortunately, this is one of those, everyone is different situations. I have remodeled 3 or 4 kitchens for those in wheel chairs and they each prefer to have the work surfaces and overhead cabinets at different heights.

One way to make the Computer Desk usable and comfortable for those in a wheelchair and in a normal chair (Normally wheel chairs sit higher), is to put in an adjustable keyboard/mouse tray. This way the keyboard and mouse can be higher for the wheelchair and lower for the other chairs.

The main thing is to mock something up and have them look at it, hopefully they will be able to give you good feedback.

For our remodels we put plywood on saw horses for the work height... Adjusted it up and down, until it "felt right".

[Dave Richards]

Bob, Jeff makes some good points. There are quite a number of different powerchairs out there and seating heights are extremely variable. Additionally, the height will depend upon the user's abilities. For example if they have full use of their arms, the height for the keyboard will be different than for someone who has limited upper extremity function.

If the users will be using speech recognition software, maybe keyboard height isn't an issue at all but monitor placement might need to be different.

I think it would be best if you can do a mock up with the intended user there to tell you what works for them.

[Scott Coffelt]

Countertop heights for wheelchair users are typically between 29" and 34", depending on the nature of the tasks that will be performed. You may want to determine if there is an easy height adjustable design you can come up with. Other wise, you will need to work with the individual directly and make up some mock ups to ensure a comfortable work environment.

[Jim Becker]

Adjustable height is a good idea if you don't have a preference from the end-user. But I'll also mention...width. You typically need a wider unblocked area under the surface, too, for a wheelchair user.