What was the effect of the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) of 2008?

• A. Narrowed the scope of disability
• B. Broadened the definition of disability
• C. Eliminated protections for major life activities
• D. Created new categories of disabilities

Answer: (B)

The thing this question is getting at is how the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 changed who gets protection under the law by widening the disability definition. Before the amendments, courts had narrowed what counted as a disability, which left many people without protections. The act reversed that trend and made it easier for a wider range of conditions to be considered disabilities. Under the ADAA, an impairment is a disability if it substantially limits one or more major life activities, and this includes conditions that are episodic or in remission when active. It also broadened what counts as a major life activity and clarified that the determination should be made without considering mitigating measures like medication or devices. In short, protections were expanded to cover more people and a broader set of conditions, rather than narrowed or restricted.