of the discrimination for the way you are treated to be unlawful. So, the laws says that the disability can be one that: 'presently exists'; 'previously existed but no longer exists': for example you may have had an episode of mental illness several years ago, but have been well ever since; 'may exist in the future': for example, an insurance company might decide that you are likely to develop a condition based on your previous medical history or the medical history of your parents; 'is imputed to a person': for example, an employer might believe you have a mental illness because of the way you responded to a particularly stressful situation even though you don't have that illness. The point of discrimination law is to stop you being treated worse or being excluded from opportunities because you have a disability or someone believes you have a disability.