Past disability

Sometimes non-disabled people are discriminated against because of an impairment they had in the past. You are protected by the DDA, if you met the definition of disability at some time in the past. You would have to show that your impairment lasted for at least 12 months, and had a substantial adverse effect on your day-to-day activities at that time.

Progressive conditions
Some conditions are described in the DDA as 'progressive' conditions.

Some progressive conditions include cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV infection count as a disability from when you first develop the condition.

Other types of progressive conditions (for example, Hodgkinson's disease or motor neurone disease) are covered by the DDA as soon as the condition has some effect on your ability to carry out normal day to day activities. This effect does not need to be continuous or substantial now, but you must show that there is likely to be a substantial adverse effect at some point in the future.

Again, the effects of medical treatment are ignored, so if you receive treatment for a progressive condition, what counts is the effects of the condition without treatment.