A person with a disability is an individual with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life functions.
You may also be considered disabled if you have a record of a physical or mental impairment or people regard you as having such impairment. A physical impairment is a disorder or condition that affects one or more body systems. A physical impairment can be caused by illness, disease, a birth defect, injury, age or anything else which disrupts a person’s physical ability to function. Some examples of physical disabilities are blindness, hearing loss, or inability to walk.
A mental impairment is a mental, psychiatric or psychological disorder. Some examples are mental illness, mental retardation or specific learning disabilities.
Under DHS policy, you may be considered a person with a disability if your physical or mental condition causes substantial difficulty in performing a major life function. Major life functions include the ability to walk, see, hear, breathe, think, read or care for yourself.
Under some circumstances alcoholism or a history of drug use may be considered a disability. Current users of illegal drugs are not disabled.