Qualifying for Protection

• The ADAAA was created in response to a number of Supreme Court decisions that made it harder for some people with disabilities to qualify for the protection of the ADA, according to "Ability" magazine. Conditions that previously had not qualified people for protection include epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, among others.
  
  

Major Life Activities

• The ADAAA makes it less stringent for someone with an impairment to be considered as having a disability, broadening the numbers of those that qualify. The new law stipulates that a significant impairment in one major life activity does not have to affect other activities in order to qualify as a disability, according to "Ability."
  
  

Discrimination

• The ADAAA updated the standard for what it means to be discriminated against because of a disability. Under the revised law, an individual needs to demonstrate that he was discriminated against because of a real or perceived disability. If that impairment does not limit a major life activity, it does not disqualify the claim of discrimination.