Teaching · Related Services

Measure the desk against the student, not just the rule.

Enter the desk’s measurements and the student’s, seated in their own chair. The summary says by how many inches each one fits or falls short, then checks the route, turning space and reach.

Check a deskWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Related Services toolkit, $99 for 152 items.

The desk check

One record per student and desk. The example is made up.

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What you get

Teaching · Related Services$5 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
Clearances in inches for knee room, width and surface height for one student, gaps around the desk, and differences from the ADA figures.
Who it is for
School physical and occupational therapists, special education teachers and facilities staff.
Format
Browser checklist with measurements. One saved record per student and desk; printed with its summary or as a blank form; CSV; export and import a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Related Services toolkit ($99) and the Teaching Suite pass ($199), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Related Services space in Caveat Teaching.
Support
Questions about an order, access or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.
knees under, elbows level
Drawn for this page. The fit that matters is between this desk and this student in this chair; the measurements make it a yes or a number of inches.

How to use it

  1. Measure the desk with a tape: surface top, underside of the apron or drawer, and width between the legs.
  2. Measure the student seated in their own chair, with footrests and armrests as they use them.
  3. Enter the numbers; the summary works out each clearance.
  4. Walk the route to the desk and mark the items around it.
  5. Recheck after a new chair, a growth spurt or a room change.

Check a desk

What the checklist covers

Student first

The ADA figures describe fixed work surfaces for the public. For a student’s own desk, what matters is that their knees or armrests slide under with room to spare and the surface sits near their elbow height, so they can write without hiking their shoulders or leaning.

The ADA figures used

From the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design: work surfaces 28 to 34 inches high (26 to 30 for children’s use, 902), knee clearance at least 27 inches high and 30 inches wide (306.3), a 30 by 48 inch clear floor space (305.3), 36 inch routes (403.5.1), a 60 inch turning space (304.3) and reach between 15 and 48 inches (308.2).

What it is not

The check does not certify a room as ADA compliant; that is a facilities and legal question. Seating and positioning in the wheelchair itself belongs to the student’s therapist and seating clinic.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Justice. 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design: sections 304.3, 305.3, 306.3, 308.2, 403.5.1 and 902.
  2. U.S. Access Board. Guide to the ADA Accessibility Standards, Chapter 9: Built-in Elements (work surfaces).
  3. Effgen, S. K. Meeting the Physical Therapy Needs of Children (2nd ed.). F. A. Davis, 2013: chapter on school-based practice and the environment.
  4. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, 34 CFR 104.4 and 104.21 to 104.22: program accessibility.

The example student and desk are made up. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.