2.2 Individual With a Disability

Technical assistance manual on the employment provisions (Title I) of the Americans With Disabilities Act

II. WHO IS PROTECTED BY THE ADA?

The ADA has a three–part definition of "disability." This definition, based on the definition under the Rehabilitation Act, reflects the specific types of discrimination experienced by people with disabilities. Accordingly, it is not the same as the definition of disability in other laws, such as state workers’ compensation laws or other federal or state laws that provide benefits for people with disabilities and disabled veterans.

Under the ADA, an individual with a disability is a person who has:

• a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
• a record of such an impairment; or
• is regarded as having such an impairment.