The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission final rule implementing the equal employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) went into effect May 24. As most HR professionals are aware, the ADAAA significantly expands the definition of “disability”, enabling far more individuals to be covered by the ADA. As discussed in the final rule, the ADAAA retains the basic definition of disability contained in the ADA, which considers an individual disabled if he or she (a) has an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; (b) has a record of such an impairment; or (c) is regarded as having such an impairment. The ADAAA, however, expands the interpretation of these elements making it “much easier for individuals seeking the law’s protection to demonstrate that they meet the definition of ‘disability.’” To that end, the final rule revises the prior ADA regulations, and includes new interpretive guidance as an appendix to the rule. Continue reading “Final ADAAA Regulations” →