Disability Categories

Person with a disability means any person who:

1) Has a physical or psychological condition which substantially limits one or more major life activities (including walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, and working);

2) Has a record of such impairment; or

3) Is regarded as having such an impairment

(ADA, 42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq).

Disabilities may be divided into separate categories as seen below. However, some disabilities may be included in more than one category. For example, AD/HD, which can fall under both Neurological and Learning Disabilities. Disability categories include but are not limited to:

Medical Conditions: e.g., asthma, diabetes, fibromyalgia, HIV- AIDS, cancer, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, lupus, heart disease, Charon’s Disease, sickle cell anemia, epilepsy

Psychological Conditions: e.g., anxiety disorder, depression, mania, manic-depression, schizophrenia, recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder

Learning Disabilities: i.e., an inability to receive, process, store, or respond to information, or to speak, listen, think, read, write, spell, or compute

Neurological Impairment: e.g., attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, brain injury, brain tumor, carpal tunnel syndrome, cerebral palsy, Asperger’s Syndrome

Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Visually Impaired, Legally Blind, and Blind

Mobility Impairment: e.g., arthritis, polio, spinal cord injuries, scoliosis, and other conditions that cause mobility difficulties or result in the use of a cane or wheelchair

Temporary Disabilities: i.e., a treatable impairment of mental or physical faculties that may impede the affected person from functioning normally while he or she is under treatment

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