WHO IS PROTECTED BY THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT?
The Act covers people with both physical and emotional disabilities. For purposes of the Act, a person is considered to “be disabled” or to “have a disability” if he or she: has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of his or her major life activities has a record of such an impairment or is regarded as having such an impairment. For example, persons with an amputated leg, or persons infected with the AIDS virus or people suffering from certain emotional illnesses are covered by the Act.. However, some conditions, such as illness resulting from current illegal drug use are expressly excluded from the Act’s protection. This definition of “disability” is broader than many used in the past. So a person who is perceived by others to be disabled may be entitled to the ADA’s protections even if he or she can objectively perform as well as a non-disabled person.
