Government and public statistics
Definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010
GOV.UK, n.d.
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- The UK government's plain-language explanation of who counts as disabled under the Equality Act 2010, including what substantial and long-term mean and which conditions are covered automatically.
- How much weight it carries
- Official UK government guidance, last substantively updated in January 2025. It summarises the Act; the legal test is in the Equality Act 2010 and its statutory guidance. It does not apply to Northern Ireland.
Facts taken from this source
- 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.
“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” (Introduction and section "What 'substantial' and 'long-term' mean")