Currently, both Missouri and Federal law forbid discrimination against individuals with HIV. The text of Section 191.665 of the Missouri Revised Statutes states that the Missouri Human Rights Act “shall apply to individuals with HIV infection.” Included in the Missouri Human Rights Act are provisions prohibiting discrimination in the area of employment.
Under federal law, the EEOC regulations regarding the interpretation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, state that “some types of impairments will, in virtually all cases, result in a determination of [disability] coverage.” HIV is given as an example of such an impairment.
The intention of the Amendments Act is to provide broad coverage for people with disabilities to receive protection under the ADA. The EEOC regulations further provide that whether an individual is defined as having a disability should not require extensive analysis, and the assessments should be predictable. Other impairments that will typically be afforded disability coverage are: deafness; blindness; intellectual disability; partially or completely missing limbs or mobility impairments requiring the use of a wheelchair; autism; cancer; cerebral palsy; diabetes; epilepsy; multiple sclerosis; muscular dystrophy; major depressive disorder; PTSD; OCD; and schizophrenia.