A physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities is the definition of which term?

• A. Disability
• B. Handicap
• C. Impairment
• D. Medical condition

Answer: (B)

The main concept here is how disability is defined in legal terms: a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. This definition is used in the ADA and related fair housing and lending protections because it emphasizes the actual impact on daily functioning, not just the presence of a medical condition. When an impairment substantially restricts activities like walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, learning, or working, the individual is regarded as having a disability and gains protection against discrimination and the right to reasonable accommodations. Impairment refers to the medical condition itself, not the functional limitation. Handicap is an older term that describes a disadvantage created by environmental barriers rather than the impairment’s impact on life activities. Medical condition is too broad and doesn’t specify the substantial functional limitation the law considers. So the term that matches the given definition is disability.