18. Am I protected under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance if I have a chronic illness? What are some examples of chronic illness?

18. Am I protected under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance if I have a chronic illness? What are some examples of chronic illness?

Yes, because the definition of disability under the DDO includes total or partial malfunction of a person's body, the malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of a person's body, and the presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness.

This definition covers chronic illnesses such as stroke, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, asthma, pneumoconiosis, cardiac disease, haemophilia, thalassaemia, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, liver failure, diabetes, renal failure, spinal cord injury, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, cancer, AIDS and so forth. That means if you are a person with a chronic illness, you are equally protected under the DDO, the same as people with other types of disabilities.