Fact · Accessibility and health
12months
GOV.UK says you are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities, where long-term means 12 months or more.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. ... ‘long-term’ means 12 months or more, for example a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection”
Definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, GOV.UK, n.d., Introduction and section "What 'substantial' and 'long-term' mean".
Open the original- What it measures
- The same page defines substantial as more than minor or trivial, for example taking much longer than usual to complete a daily task. Meeting this definition is what triggers the employer's duty to make reasonable adjustments.
- What it does not show
- Some conditions count as disabilities automatically, and the full legal test is in the Act and its guidance. The Equality Act 2010 does not apply to Northern Ireland. Not legal advice.