The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act greatly expanded the definition of what constitutes a disability. Consequently, it increased the number of employees who qualify for the protections of the Act (or as I often lament, we’re all disabled). A positive consequence of this broad definition of disability for defendant-employers is the increased likelihood that in any disability discrimination case, the facts may allow an employer to argue that the plaintiff was not replaced with someone outside the protected class (i.e., nondisabled). Where the threshold to qualify as disabled is so low, plaintiff employees, and replacements alike, likely to qualify as disabled. Which reminds me of Syndrome statement in the The Incredibles; “everyone’s super, no one will be."
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