The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA) did not
change the definition of impairment but it may have changed the
EEOC's view on whether obesity is an impairment.
The EEOC definition of "impairment," is "[a]ny
physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or
anatomical loss affecting one or more systems, such as
neurological, musculoskeletal, spatial sense organs, respiratory
(including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive,
genitourinary, immune, circulatory, hermetic, lymphatic, skin, and
endocrine."
The EEOC Interpretative Guidance specifically excludes from the
definition of impairment, physical characteristics. This includes
things such as eye color, hair color, and left handedness, but also
height, weight, or muscle tone that is within the
"normal" range and is not the result of a physiological
disorder from the definition of impairment. Before the ADAAA
passed, the EEOC took the position that severe or morbid
