Opinion ID: 147655
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Is Mr. Wilkerson disabled under the Act?

Text: The first factor under the Rehabilitation Act is that the plaintiff must have a disability. The Rehabilitation Act defines the term disability to mean any of the following: (A) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual; (B) a record of such an impairment; or (C) being regarded as having such an impairment. 42 U.S.C. § 12102(2); see also EEOC Interpretive Guidelines for the Rehabilitation Act, 29 C.F.R. § 1614.203(b). To be substantially limited in a major life activity, an individual must have an impairment that prevents or severely restricts the individual from doing activities that are of central importance to most people's daily lives. Toyota Motor Mfg., Ky., Inc. v. Williams, 534 U.S. 184, 198, 122 S.Ct. 681, 151 L.Ed.2d 615 (2002). The impairment's impact must be permanent or long term. Id. In analyzing whether something is a disability the court looks to whether it is a physiological disorder or condition affecting one or more body systems, or any mental or psychological disorder. Enwonwu v. Fulton-Dekalb Hosp. Auth., 286 Fed.Appx. 586, 603 (11th Cir.2008) (citing 29 C.F.R. § 1630.2(h)(1), (2)). A medical diagnosis is insufficient, rather, the ADA requires plaintiffs to offer evidence that the extent of the limitation caused by their impairment in terms of their own experience is substantial. Id. Here there are two potentially qualifying disabilities: obesity and diabetes. The question of whether the defendant is disabled was not decided by the district court. The district court stated that: For the sole purpose of determining whether summary judgment is appropriate in this case, this Court will ... assume that Plaintiff has met his burden in proving that he is a disabled person. Aplt's App. at 8. On appeal, neither side has fully briefed this question nor is there a record on which to base a decision on whether Mr. Wilkerson is disabled. Further, we find other aspects of the analysis dispositive. Thus, like the district court, we will assume that Mr. Wilkerson has met this prong of the analysis.