What does “impairment” cover?
It covers physical or mental impairments; this includes sensory impairments, such as those affecting sight or hearing. Q: Are all mental impairments covered? A: The Act previously required that where an impairment arose from, or consisted of, a mental illness, that illness had to be clinically well-recognised in order for it to be regarded as a mental impairment for the purposes of the Act. The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 amended the original Act to remove this requirement with effect from 5 December 2005. However, anyone who has an impairment including one resulting from a mental illness will still need to meet the requirements of the definition, in order to demonstrate that they have a disability under the Act. Q: What is a “substantial adverse effect? A: A substantial adverse effect is something which is more than a minor or trivial effect. The requirement that an effect must be substantial reflects the general understanding of disability as a limitation going beyond the norm
