More Protections for Americans With Disabilities Act

People living with HIV will receive expanded protections and benefits under the Americans With Disabilities Act, due to new regulations governing amendments enacted in 2008, the ABA Journal reports.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the regulations Friday. Among other things, the list of impairments has been expanded to best define what it means to be disabled. Conditions covered include autism, cancer, cerebral palsy, diabetes, epilepsy, HIV infection, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumaic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia.

Asymptomatic people with HIV were added as a protected group under the act in 1998 due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Later rulings, however, narrowed the definition of disability, and Congress responded by approving a broader definition with the ADA Amendments Act, which went into effect January 1, 2009. According to a statement from the EEOC, the amendments and the regulations governing their interpretation will better define disabilities and allow people to seek protection under the ADA.