Opinion ID: 3031327
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Shower Chair

Text: In the fall of 2000, a few months after being transferred to FCI Fairton, Foreman verbally requested a shower chair designed for T-5 paraplegics from the Hospital Administrator and Correctional Unit Counselor. According to Foreman, the proper shower chair for a T-5 paraplegic is a roll-in chair with a padded surface, two arm supports to enable him to balance and shift his weight, and an opening in the center for drainage and hygiene. The prison provided Foreman with a shower chair in October 2000, but he claimed it was inadequate because it did not have lateral supports or a center opening. Foreman’s repeated verbal requests for a different chair were denied. Fearing that he would fall out of the chair provided by the prison, Foreman began using his personal wheelchair in the shower. 3 On March 21, 2004, Foreman initiated the administrative remedy process by filing a BP-8 “Informal Resolution Form” requesting a different shower chair. Although his unit counselor provided him with a shower chair the next week, Foreman claimed it was not the proper chair for a T-5 paraplegic because it did not have lateral supports. The prison contended that lateral supports were unnecessary because the shower itself had railings which Foreman could use to balance himself while washing. Foreman continued to file administrative appeals, arguing that the handrails bolted to the shower walls did not enable him to secure himself safely in the chair. On September 20, 2004, in response to his final appeal, the prison’s Central Office told Foreman that the prison staff was in the process of obtaining a more appropriate chair for him. Foreman claims he has yet to receive a new chair, and it appears from oral argument that this is still the case. As a result of using his personal wheelchair in the shower, Foreman allegedly has suffered soreness and skin irritations on his hips and buttocks, and the frame of his wheelchair has become rusted and corroded, posing a serious risk to his safety. Moreover, in December 2004, while showering with the chair provided by FCI Fairton, Foreman slid out of it and fell onto the shower floor. His medical records indicate that he suffered only minor scratches from the fall, and the parties dispute whether he ever sought treatment at Health Services following the accident. 4